Harrogate Town have played their final ‘home’ fixture at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium.
Following promotion from the National League, Town were forced by the English Football League to remove its artificial 3G surface at Wetherby Road and replace it with grass.
This meant the team has been playing its home fixtures at Doncaster, 46 miles from Harrogate.
Harrogate Town chairman Irving Weaver’s housing company, Strata Homes, is also based in the South Yorkshire town.
The team signed off from the Keepmoat with an impressive 3-1 win against Leicester City’s under-23 side on Tuesday in the EFL Trophy.
Work on Town’s new pitch at the club’s EnviroVent Stadium is now nearly complete.
Playing at the Keepmoat seemed to be popular with Town’s players, with veteran striker Jon Stead tweeting yesterday:
“What a venue, unreal hospitality, and fantastic ground staff. Thank you Donny.”
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Town’s next fixture will be a hotly anticipated local derby against Bradford City at Valley Parade on Monday night. The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.
Simon Weaver’s men will play at Wetherby Road for the first time since July on October 17 when they face last season’s National League champions Barrow.
Meanwhile, a petition has now been signed by over 180,000 people urging the government to allow fans to safely return to football stadiums, amid reports that several EFL clubs face a precarious financial situation.
Initially in the summer, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said fans would be able to return to grounds from October 1. But rising coronavirus infection rates put this plan on hold indefinitely.
