Harrogate Town’s recent revival came to an abrupt halt as they suffered a damaging 3-0 defeat at Newport County, leaving manager Simon Weaver frustrated and warning that his side remain in a relegation scrap.
Goals from Cameron Evans, Courtney Baker-Richardson, and James Clarke sealed a comfortable win for Newport, with all three goals coming from set-pieces – a fact that angered the Harrogate boss.
Harrogate undone by set-piece struggles
The visitors made the worst possible start, conceding inside two minutes when Shane McLoughlin’s corner was headed home by Evans.
Newport doubled their lead on 15 minutes, again from a corner, as Anthony Glennon’s delivery from the right caused havoc in the Harrogate box. Baker-Richardson bundled the ball over the line, possibly with a final touch from a defender.
Harrogate had their chances to respond before the break, with Josh March, Ellis Taylor, and Anthony O’Connor all missing opportunities. Bryn Morris then struck the crossbar with a free-kick five minutes after the restart.
Newport put the game to bed
Despite a brief second-half improvement, Harrogate’s fate was sealed in the 61st minute when Bobby Kamwa’s overhead kick was saved, but Clarke reacted quickest to smash the rebound into the roof of the net.
Weaver was left frustrated by his team’s inability to deal with Newport’s set-piece threat.
“It’s really disappointing. We worked on all their routines and went through each individual’s role, but defensively from corners, we didn’t turn up. Credit to them; I knew that there’d be a reaction to their 5-0 defeat the other night, and a passionate response from Newport.”
‘We’re in a dogfight’ – Weaver’s warning
Despite sitting 10 points clear of the bottom two, Weaver insisted that Harrogate cannot afford complacency.
“We’ve got to react now, and I’d be very surprised if we don’t do that. Hopefully, the supporters are with us and cheering us on, because we’re in a dogfight,” he added.
Writer’s view
Harrogate have shown resilience in recent weeks, but this defeat serves as a stark reminder of the work still to be done. Their vulnerability at set-pieces must be addressed quickly if they are to avoid being dragged further into the relegation scrap. Newport, meanwhile, showed the character of a side determined to bounce back, and this result gives them a timely boost.
