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May
Exclusive: Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver speaks of ambitions and club’s future
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Harrogate Town ended their League Two season on a high last weekend. A 2-1 win over relegated Morecambe secured an 18th place finish and a sixth successive season in the division.
Last season’s playoff hopes seemed a distant memory this year, though, as the club only ensured safety with two games to go.
Despite this campaign’s struggles, a strong spell of form in the final few months ensured Town beat the drop, finishing 11 points clear of 23rd placed Carlisle.
The Stray Ferret recently interviewed Harrogate manager, Simon Weaver, and asked him his thoughts on the season. He said:
Reflecting on it now, I’m quite proud that we’ve got through it with severe injuries.
And they have been severe injuries. We’ve only had George Thomson for one game this season. If you’d have said in December that we would stay up 11 points clear of relegation I’d have bitten your arm off.
For me I think the highlights of the season were the outcome and drama of Tranmere [at home] and then Fleetwood [at home].
The lowest point was probably coming out against Fleetwood knowing how many players were out of the squad.
Harrogate beat Fleetwood 3-1 despite having nine first team players out with injury. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC
Harrogate have now completed five seasons in League Two. Despite a playoff push last year which saw them finish 13th, they have not managed higher than 17th place in any of their other four seasons.
So, have Town reached their ceiling?
Weaver said:
Have we reached our ceiling? I’m not sure.
The league gets harder each year because of new investment. The pleasing thing for me is our home form. We went 10 games unbeaten at home this season and I think we could be a surprise outfit next year.
Playoff dreams
When we spoke to Town keeper James Belshaw in March, he told us that the aim for next season was to push for the playoffs, which Simon Weaver confirmed.
This year, Walsall, Wimbledon, Notts County and Chesterfield finished in the playoff spots, all of whom are considered big clubs in the division.
Harrogate Town are one of the lowest spending clubs in the division and cannot compete with these clubs financially.
But they took points off the four, bar Notts County, in the league this season, showing that it’s not always about money.
So, what do clubs like Chesterfield or Wimbledon have that Harrogate don’t when it comes to making the playoffs? Weaver explained:
Depth of squad is definitely a big thing in this league. Other clubs have more pedigree than us and can attract more players. I’m not disrespecting other managers though. All four teams have been outstanding this year.
But we’re going in the right direction and growing all the time. Our kudos is increasing, and we’ve got much more interest from players now.
January signings such as Liverpool’s Tom Hill, Newport’s Bryn Morris and Northampton’s Ben Fox all show that Harrogate can attract much bigger names than they could in the past.
We also asked about the club’s plans to build a new training ground, which was revealed in a fan forum last year. Player recruitment was given as a reason for it.
Weaver did not give an update on its progress, saying that establishing a new training facility is a slow process and must go through many conditions such as planning before it can proceed.
January signing Ben Fox has quickly become a fan favourite. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC
Personal ambitions
Simon Weaver is the longest serving manager in the whole of the English Football League, having been at the club since May 2009.
A former Sheffield Wednesday player and lifelong fan of the club, we asked him about his ambitions and whether he has thought about moving on. He said:
Of course I’m ambitious. Any manager who says they aren’t is in denial. In football you just have to take each day as it comes.
I’d like the opportunity for one more promotion with Harrogate. Then I could rest easy.
The manager said that he signed a new three-year deal with the club at the start of the season.
Father and son
The Weavers are known in football for their unique father-son dynamic as chairman and manager.
So, if Simon was to leave, would Irving follow suit? He said:
I haven’t discussed it with my dad to be honest. If it gets to a point where I’m not doing a good enough job then I’d be the first to go and maybe he’d decide to put the club up for sale, but I don’t know.
The Stray Ferret recently reported that, after last season, the club now owes Irving Weaver £5.25 million.
The Harrogate manager said that the club has nothing to worry about when the owner decides to call it a day, though:
The ethics of the club are bang on. [Irving] isn’t going to land the club in difficulties because what’s the point of building a club for years if that’s the case.
Irving Weaver, the club's chairman. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC.
A new squad?
Harrogate Town recently released their retained list for next season. As it stands, 11 players will remain at the club, with contract talks ongoing with six others.
Weaver said that himself and the club are well versed in these conversations, though, and that they are doing their best to keep the players on board.
Even if the club is successful in renewing their contracts, 17 first team players is somewhat light and there may be some wholesale changes around the club.
Weaver told us how they can minimise the risk of losing squad cohesion in this case:
There will be a few players coming in, but we will try to keep it stable.
There’s always a risk of losing cohesion, we’ve got a very united changing room now. I don’t think we’ve had a single problem this season. We just have to make sure we replace any players with good people.
While his players enjoy their time off over the summer, Simon Weaver may not have that luxury. Many things will need to be finalised to give the club a fighting chance in what could shape up to be a big season for them.
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