Harrogate Town publish retained players list

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Harrogate Town has today published its released and retained players list for the end of the 2024/25 season.

The Wetherby Road side finished their league season with a 2-1 victory over relegated Morecambe on Saturday (May 3), ensuring a sixth successive season in League Two.

But the club’s published retained players list suggests that there may be some wholesale changes in the summer as the club looks to try to push for play off places next year.

Of the 29-man squad, only 11 players are currently confirmed to remain under contract at the club.

Those 11 players are as follows:

• Zico Asare
• George Thomson
• Stephen Duke-McKenna
• Ellis Taylor
• Tom Hill
• Tom Cursons
• Ben Fox
• Bryn Morris
• James Belshaw
• Lucas Barnes
• Marcus Etherington

Players such as Taylor, Hill, Cursons, Fox, Morris and Belshaw are all big boosts, having played big parts in Harrogate’s season.

Etherington and Barnes are both young and have only recently signed professional contracts with the club. Duke-McKenna will return from his loan spell at St Johnstone at the end of the year.

Whilst having been a club hero for many years, 32-year-old George Thomson has not featured since August. He has only made one appearance for Town this year due to injury.

The club has confirmed that it will be releasing six players:

• Matty Daly
• Matty Foulds
• Dean Cornelius
• Stephen Dooley
• James Daly
• Toby Sims

Matty Daly, Foulds and Dooley each made a handful of appearances for Town this season. James Daly and Dean Cornelius made 44 and 41 appearances respectively.

The departure of Toby Sims will undoubtedly be a loss for the Sulphurites. Making 45 appearances for the club this season, the American right back firmly established himself as one of the first names on Simon Weaver’s team sheet. Town fans can take some comfort from Zico Asare's staying, though, who has been a hardy backup for the defender.

The club has said that the defender’s contract was due to expire at the end of the season, but that they had mutually agreed to terminate it early to allow Toby to pursue his career overseas.

Negotiations remain ongoing with the following players:

• Anthony O’Connor
• Warren Burrell
• Jack Muldoon
• Josh March
• Mark Oxley
• Levi Sutton

Thirty-four-year-old Warren Burrell is the club captain and one of the club’s highest appearance makers.

Though 35 years old, Muldoon has played a big role in Harrogate’s season, making 46 appearances.

Top scorer Josh March and central defender Anthony O’Connor have both been pivotal in Town’s survival this year, and the two of them will undoubtedly be priorities for renewed contracts.

A big blow for Town comes in the form of Jasper Moon’s return to parent club Burton Albion. The 24-year-old central defender formed a strong partnership with O’Connor, chipping in with three goals.

Bryant Bilongo, Olly Sanderson and Eko Solomon will all join Moon in returning to their parent clubs.

Liam Gibson and James Moorby have been invited back to train with the club for pre-season.

Josh Falkingham has also ended his playing role at Harrogate after eight years at the club, with a possible future role within the club outlined by manager Simon Weaver.