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02
Apr
Harrogate Railway confirm play-off place
Harrogate Railway have confirmed a place in the NCEL Division One promotion play-offs following a “frustrating” 1-0 win over Club Thorne Colliery on Tuesday (March 31).
The Doncaster-based opponents made it difficult for Rob Youhill’s men throughout the game, slowing things down and attempting to nullify the high-intensity, high-pressure football that has been the driving force behind The Rail’s strong season.
But The Colls’ efforts were ultimately undone when Railway’s Alex Ingham slipped the ball through to substitute Jimmy Eyles, who calmly chipped the keeper with five minutes left to play.
Speaking after the game, co-manager Rob Youhill said:
In a game that’s that tight, where there’s not a lot of quality in the game, and it’s just a proper battle, you just want a little bit of quality. We came up with a little bit of quality, and we won the game.
The game plan was to frustrate, and although we were frustrated on the sideline, it didn’t necessarily come into [the players’] feelings. It’s like when anyone sets up against you like that – you just take it as a bit of a compliment. That’s a huge compliment that they paid us, that they think they need to slow the game down and take the sting out of the game because they know that’s what we’re about.
'The challenges are within the squad'
On 82 points with three games remaining, it is now mathematically impossible for Harrogate Railway to slip out of the play-off places.
Sixth-placed Brigg Town can achieve a maximum of 78 points, while seventh-placed Route One Rovers can only manage 80.
This will be a massive relief for Youhill and co-manager Fraser Lancaster, who saw their side take a drastic downturn in form in the new year.
The Station View side only lost one league game until January 1. Since then, they have lost six.
With three games remaining until the play-offs, now is the time to iron things out for The Rail.
Youhill said:
The challenges are within the squad. They don’t come from anywhere else. I’ve said it a few times this season that we beat ourselves. We’ve got a really great squad of men who have grown so much in the last few years. Whatever challenges do come up are within the squad, and I think we’ll be able to iron those out and be able to deal with it.
As it stands, fourth-placed Harrogate Railway would face third-placed Worsbrough Bridge in the play-off semi-finals.
However, with three games remaining and five points between second and fourth, things could change significantly.
The Rail’s play-off semi-final fixture will take place on Saturday, April 18. If they make it to the final, that will be played on Saturday, April 25.
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