‘IT’S A WAR ZONE... BUT WE HAVE SURVIVED’

After a memorable League Two season, Harrogate Town, in the Football League for the first time, and Barrow, back after almost half a century, both survived. Now they cannot wait for the next campaign to start. BY SIMON BIRD for the first time. We HARROGATE boss Simon learned we need to keep Weaver is listing the the squad depth right, lessons his promoted side which has been tested. learned in League Two and “It is about retaining admits: “It’s a war zone.” team spirit and I’ve never

He adds: “And it’s been wanted an overcrowded challenging, relentless!” squad.

But Harrogate ended the “We play good football in campaign lifting the FA what is a war zone at this Trophy at Wembley and level and need that celebrated another season cut-throat element, which of progress in their the top teams have. remarkable 10-year rise “In terms of standard, from the foot of the there have been teams who National League North. have punished defensive

They coped with having blips as we learned on the to rip up their plastic pitch job. You learn you’ve got to to play on grass and win that first ball, get the staging home games in second.” Doncaster for a spell. So can the rise continue?

Then there was the “We want to see the novelty of only signing impact we have in the players in a transfer community. Will they fill the window for the first time ground? We need that for and no crowd income the budget to compete. because of Covid-19. “We had an open top bus

But the father-son through Harrogate at the combination of chairman end of last season and I was Irving Weaver and Simon worried. How many would (above), along with a tightknit come? squad grounded in “Honestly, hundreds and “old-fashioned values” hundreds lined the streets secured the proud North and we captured their Yorkshire side as a League imagination. In our tight Two outfit – a year after ground it will be amazing to promotion. have fans back.”

The manager said: “We Irving Weaver said: “We have learned a lot and have scrambled through. everyone can hold their “And a lot of it has been head high. down to the good

“We’ve had to operate in old-fashioned values that the transfer window system Simon works on.”