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12
Jan
Valiant Harrogate Town bow out of FA Cup at Elland Road
A valiant Harrogate Town defensive display at Elland Road last night answered Simon Weaver’s call for “character and discipline”.
In an FA Cup tie which saw Leeds United have most of the ball, Weaver’s men held their own before bowing out of the competition.
Tucked away in the corner of the John Charles West Stand and part of the South Stand, 4,000 Harrogate fans stayed behind at full time to show their appreciation for the effort on display.
The away end was full of replica FA Cups, coloured with yellow and black scalves and full of plenty of pride.
It was a cold night in Beeston, but the League Two outfit were on their toes from the first whistle.
Weaver told the media afterwards that he felt Town were “always in the fight” and they were for the most part.
Every single one stood up as a man tonight and remained in the moment throughout. They put in an impressive display.
It took United until the 59th minute to breakdown a stubborn Town defence.
Isreali international Manor Solomon went down the left hand side into the Harrogate penalty area before lifting a cross to the edge of the six-yard box for Largie Ramazani to head home.
But Town did not let that dismay them and pushed for the equaliser with pressure on Leeds' backline, balls crossed into the box and a Josh March shot which was saved by Karl Darlow.
In the end, the game belonged to United - who will now head into the fourth round of the competition.
But, for Weaver, the match — which was arguably one of the biggest in Town’s history — gave food for thought.
Town return to league action on Friday night against Cheltenham Town, where they will be hoping to push further in their fight for safety.
To the 4,000 fans who made up the bumper crowd of 35,000 in Elland Road last night, Weaver had a rallying cry.
He said:
We’re proud of the journey we have been on and what we’ve achieved, but to stay here [in the EFL] we need support. We need support in numbers and passionate support to back the players.
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