The moment that turned Harrogate’s season around
A MILD Sunday in September proved to be the turning point of Harrogate Town’s season.
Less than 24 hours earlier, Simon Weaver had seen his side, languishing in 18th in the National League, earn a point at Maidenhead United, but standards had fallen below par.
The level-headed Town boss spent his day off analysing the match, picking out 68 examples of off-the-ball scenarios where his players lacked energy before sitting them down on Monday morning to watch the montage together.
“I’m not one of these that normally does it, seeing clip after clip,” he told The NLP. “In that game it was a recurring problem. That was the one game I was concerned. Teams can get on a bad run because of that and I don’t feel it’s a level where you can drop off and let people have possession and time on the ball. If you do that they can hurt you.
“I played it and went, ‘no, I’m not having that, I’m not having that’. It boils down to beyond football, the values of hard work.”
The next day, after the Monday debrief, Harrogate travelled to second-placed FC Halifax Town and produced one of their best performances this season, winning 1-0.
“It was a defining moment,” said Weaver, approaching his eleventh year in charge. “It was an outstanding away performance. The players deserved respect for going, ‘oh yeah’ and sorting it out. We’ve got really honest lads who can take pure honesty when they’re told it.”
Honesty
Harrogate have lost just four times since that fateful Monday meeting and have reached the FA Trophy semi-finals where they’ll take on Notts County.
It follows their impressive play-off campaign last season in what was their first National League year. The
club is full-time and has progressed each term.
Their business model around the 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium continues to be a success with a player development centre from the age of five up, a BTEC team, U16, U17, U21 and U23 sides, a ladies team and ladies development team that all bring revenue into the club as well as a community. Yet you almost wouldn’t know about the club’s achievements given their humble approach.
“Whether it’s on social media or the front page, saying ‘we are this’ or ‘we’re going to do this’, you fall flat on your face,” said Weaver, the National League’s February manager of the month. “You put pressure on yourself. It’s in the doing rather than the saying.”
Patience
For now, ‘the doing’ has been taken out of their hands and their title race with Barrow postponed. A season promising so much has stalled at the worst time. Weaver is calling for patience.
“It has been delayed correctly and I think it will probably be delayed until the end of May,” he said.
“It gives people a chance not to make a snap or rash decision. In terms of us as a club, I don’t think it’s in our blood to do that.
“There’s no football here which will obviously have an impact on us as a business, but we have to talk to every coach that’s involved in this and we have to show empathy. People come first here.
“There are bigger things to discuss around a table now that are closer to home. Everyone after 37 games deserves the opportunity, no matter when, to squeeze out the last eight games.
“It’s frustrating, but you have to look at the bigger things – are the kids alright, is your family alright?
“Everyone has a responsibility to not come into close proximity with the vulnerable.
“You live your life on your career, winning or losing, and that normally so often goes into the main focus, but priority number one now is making sure as many come through unscathed as possible.”