TOWN WIN AGAIN BUT WEAVER IS GROUNDED

HARROGATE Town continued to thrive in their new National League surroundings but manager Simon Weaver was still demanding more despite something approaching a consummate away performance.

Unbeaten in five games, and with a second clean sheet victory against exalted promotion contenders in five days, Weaver’s side may have enjoyed a slice of luck at the EBB Stadium but nonetheless were good value in coolly and calmly exposing Aldershot Town’s own early-season shortcomings as the hosts failed to register a single shot on target.

“It’s a great result and I thought it was justified as well. In the firsthalf we under-performed and sauntered through the game, but I don’t think we were in any trouble throughout the 90 minutes,” admitted Weaver, who awarded his own ratings of 6/10 for the opening 45 minutes but 8/10 after the break.

“We kept the ball a lot better in the second-half, and when we did have decent possession we caused them problems.

Victory propelled Town up to seventh, yet Weaver stressed: “We’re not the finished article but it’s a solid start. We’ve played three sides that were in the play-offs last season but noone’s getting carried away. We already look stronger in both boxes but the more we play together hopefully we’ll keep progressing.”

A first-half which quickly settled in a predictable pattern of neat approach play with little end product saw Jake Cole make the only telling save on six minutes. Jack Muldoon and Joe Leesley combined down the left for a cross which, although half cleared by George Fowler, invited George Thomson to hook in a shot which was well parried. Cole then tipped Callum Howe’s swerving shot over the bar at the start of the second period and soon Harrogate had irresistible momentum. Lewis Kinsella was robbed in possession and, despite vehement appeals for a foul, Dominic Knowles ran on to score from an acute angle. Just five minutes later, Leesley’s cross was deflected into his own net by the unfortunate Kinsella, under pressure from Thomson, and the Shots could muster precious little in response. Cole denied sub Aaron Williams in stoppage time, and Shots boss Gary Waddock spared the blushes of referee Alan Dale, who gave an inconsistent performance, in diplomatically suggesting that “one or two circumstances” contributed to the defeat. “I’m taking nothing away from Harrogate, they are a good side, but we didn’t work their goalkeeper at all and we keep getting punished for our mistakes. We have to cut those out of our game.”