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02
Aug
Simon Weaver confident that new signings will adapt to League Two, but asks for patience
Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver insists on patience to allow his new signings to adapt to a new level ahead of the new season.
Of the club’s seven summer signings, three have joined from non-league clubs. Jack Evans joins from Halifax Town, while attackers Reece Smith and Shawn McCoulsky both made the switch from Maidenhead United.
Bobby Faulkner, who joined on loan from Doncaster, also has limited experience in the Football League.
Reece Smith. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC
Town lost nine players over the summer, most notably of which was last season’s club top scorer — Josh March.
Joining League Two rivals Crewe Alexandra on a free transfer, March’s departure undoubtedly left a big hole to fill for Simon Weaver’s side in the shape of goal contributions and an unmatched work rate.
But, despite this, the EFL’s longest-serving manager was not worried about an aftershock.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret this week, he said:
I’m sure in time the lads will adapt to the level, but we know it takes time and we have to be patient. That’s the least they deserve from us. We had to be patient in our first year with Marchy [Josh March], but after that, he was brilliant for us, especially in his last 20-or-so games. So, I think that tells you something.
All the players coming in are aiming to produce for the club, so I don’t think we’ll feel an aftershock from the players we’ve lost. We’ve always had departures – we know that’s part of us. But we’ve always bounced back by signing humble lads who want to work hard for the club.
The club’s remaining three signings suggest that Weaver wants to strengthen his defence as much as possible, while maintaining his ethos of hard work.
Lewis Cass and Tom Bradbury are both accomplished League Two defenders, having played regularly for Grimsby and Cheltenham, respectively.
Similar to Josh March’s archetype, while Mason Bennett does not have an overly impressive goal record, the former Derby, Millwall, and Burton striker earned regular appearances for his clubs through a high work rate.
Should Bradbury feature on Saturday, he will be reunited with former boss Darrell Clarke. Now managing Bristol Rovers, Clarke showed trust in the central defender during his spell at Cheltenham.
Tom Bradbury. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC
The Sulphurites were also handed a big boost when 32-year-old Anthony O’Connor put pen to paper in June, after speculation that he may also leave Harrogate upon the expiry of his contract.
In an interview with the club, the centre-back said, “my heart was always telling me to stay”. He added that he would love to see the side win promotion this year.
O’Connor has been one of Harrogate’s standout performers since his transfer from Morecambe in 2022/23 and is a consistent name on Simon Weaver’s team sheet.
Last season, he made the most clearances in the league with 471. This was 53 higher than anyone else. He also made the fifth most interceptions.
Anthony O'Connor. Photo: Harrogate Town AFC
‘League Two can be a warzone’
Harrogate’s season kicks off on Saturday, as they travel south to face relegated Bristol Rovers.
As we reported earlier in the week, Weaver told us that his aim for this year was to stay in the league as quickly as possible, but, like any team, they’re “allowed to dream”.
Harrogate's pre-season form has been very underwhelming though — having secured a 1-0 victory over Guiseley, they then failed to score a single goal against Ilkeston, Rotherham, Barnsley and Carlisle, losing against the last three.
So how do his side go about achieving that, in spite of the club's poor pre-season form? Weaver had his say:
We can guarantee that we’ll work incredibly hard in training and matches. We have to improve on our out-of-possession football — we can’t lose our runners and individual battles because League Two can be a warzone at times.
We’re looking forward to it, though. Like any season you want to play for points.
In an interview with the club yesterday, the manager also said the main focus in training this week has been the side’s shape on and off the ball.
Young winger Stephen Duke-McKenna is laying a claim to a starting spot in Simon Weaver's side following his loan spell in Perth.
For another year, the Wetherby Road side are amongst the favourites with the bookies to be relegated.
Though for the last five seasons, Weaver and his team have defied the odds.
The manager told us how it felt to be written off again:
It just adds fuel to the fire in terms of our motivation and makes us want to step up to the plate again. As we know, the season is a marathon, not a sprint, and we’re looking forward to proving people wrong again.
Harrogate Town will kick off their season on the road at Bristol Rovers today at 3pm.
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