Harrogate Town Simon Weaver was absolutely delighted after his side secured their League Two status for what will be a sixth successive season, reports The Yorkshire Post.
The Sulphurites recovered from a goal down to beat Fleetwood Town 3-1 at the Exercise Stadium.
Fleetwood Dispatched To Secure Safety
After a goalless first half, the Cod Army took a 52nd-minute lead through Kobei Moore but Weaver’s men hit back four minutes later thanks to Jasper Moon.
The Sulphurites were ahead just five minutes later when Ellis Taylor struck a left-footed drive past Jay Lynch. The points were secured in the 96th minute thanks to a Tom Cursons strike.
Weaver Delighted With His Side
After guaranteeing their Football League status, the long-serving manager shared his pleasure with the result and the achievement of his players.
“I’m ecstatic with the performance, I thought that we fully deserved the three points and the scoreline as well.”
“The lads have shown big character again. We go a goal down to Fleetwood’s first shot, but we reacted positively. A number of times now, we have gone a goal behind and bounced back – and that sums up the last few months.”
Great Ending, Huge Achievement
Weaver, who has been in charge of Harrogate since 2009, has guided his side to a sixth successive season in the Football League after hitting the ‘magical’ 50-point mark.
Town have finished the season strongly, losing just twice in their last 11 games and could equal their second-best finish of 17th should results go their way.
Harrogate has the second-lowest average attendance in League Two, with just over 2,700 attending matches at The Exercise Stadium.
This follows last season’s third-lowest average and demonstrates the scale of the achievement for Weaver and his side.
Writer’s View
Harrogate will perhaps be slightly disappointed to have fallen below the standards they set last season when they finished just seven points off the playoffs but maintaining their status as a Football League club with two games left is a huge achievement.
