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Apr
Harrogate RUFC boss Jake Brady ‘excited’ for upcoming play-off clash
Harrogate Rugby Club boss Jake Brady is excited for his side’s upcoming play-off clash with Alnwick tomorrow (April 25).
With three play-off rounds to get through, a win tomorrow would be The Aces’ first step towards promotion back to National League Two North.
Speaking to the Stray Ferret, Brady said:
I can’t wait. I’m not nervous, just excited. There haven’t been many times in my career when I’ve thought we’re not going to win, and this is no different. I feel like we’ve got the set-up to do well.
Harrogate lost 17-8 at Alnwick in January. Photo: Dkkaptured
Harrogate and Alnwick have both beaten each other once this season.
At Rudding Lane in October, Harrogate held their own in the second half, putting in an inspired defensive performance to win by a point.
In January’s reverse fixture, Alnwick came out victorious.
Brady told us how he can ensure they come out on the right side of the tie:
We can’t ensure it, but I can prepare them in the best way possible. I’m putting my strongest team on the pitch this time, which I don’t think we were necessarily able to do last time. From a mental standpoint, we’re looking forward to it rather than viewing it as an all-or-nothing.
Alnwick are an abrasive set that try to challenge you head-on and run straight over the top of you. We’ve got to match them. If we can win that mental battle, that’s half the battle.
Harrogate's match against Alnwick tomorrow promises to be hard-fought. Photo: Dkkaptured
Promotion dreams
If Harrogate beat Alnwick tomorrow, they would have to get through two more play-off rounds to be promoted back to the National League Two North.
These would come in the form of play-off between themselves, who are in the Regional North East League, and the winners of the Regional North West League. The winners of that tie would then play the 12th-placed team in the National Two North.
While Brady admitted that he had not paid it much thought yet, instead focusing on Alnwick, he said that promotion back to the National League Two North would be huge.
He said:
It would be great for the club. We want to be in the National Two, Yorkshire are well represented in that league. I think there’s a feeling around the outskirts that the club doesn’t want to continue yo-yoing between the two leagues. But I don’t get that feeling. I don’t think that would happen with this team with how far we’ve come this year.
With three play-offs ahead of them, promotion is far from secured for Harrogate.
At the start of the season, Brady would have been disappointed had Harrogate not gone up.
However, as the campaign has progressed, his views have changed slightly.
“There have been some really strong teams in this league,” he said. “If we don’t go up, it’s not been a year wasted – we’ve moved on massively since pre-season. Some of the teams we struggled against in the first half of the season, we put 70-80 points past in the second half. Regardless of what happens, we’ve got that in the bank and have made great progress.”
Harrogate will face Alnwick away from home tomorrow at 3pm.
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