Harrogate Town will hope to book a place in the third round of the FA Cup tomorrow when they play four-time winners Bolton Wanderers.
Town will travel to the Toughsheet Community Stadium to take on the League One leaders for a chance to play against Premier League and Championship sides in the next stage.
Wanderers go into the game in form with 38 points from 18 league games.
Harrogate defeated non-league Marine 5-1 in the first round to avoid a potential cup upset. Now they are hoping to provide an upset of their own.
Simon Weaver, Town manager, described the match as a challenge for the players.
He said:
“It’s a great ground to go and play in a FA Cup tie. They are doing fantastically well at the top of League One.
“It’s a big challenge for us, but we plan on enjoying the day.”
Harrogate will be hoping to reach the third round for the second ever time after reaching the stage in 2021/22.
More than 400 supporters will make the 69-mile trip for the second round match.
A chance to play against Premier League sides such as Manchester City and Liverpool in the third round will be up for grabs.
Harrogate Town will kick off against Bolton at 3pm tomorrow.
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Harrogate Town set for FA Cup clash against non-league Marine
Harrogate Town will take on non-league Marine today in the first round of the FA Cup.
Town will be aiming to avoid an upset against the Merseyside outfit, who sit three divisions below them in the Northern Premier League Premier Division.
Marine broke club records in the 2020/21 season when they defeated both Colchester United and Havant and Waterlooville FC to reach the third round of the competition for the second time.
The reward was a tie against Premier League Tottenham Hotspur, which was billed the biggest mismatch in FA Cup history with 161 places between the two sides. Spurs went on to win 5-0.
Simon Weaver, town manager, said his side will have to remain focussed against the Merseyside club in order to progress in the competition.
He said Harrogate had been training on a 3G pitch, which Marine use at their home ground, in preparation for the tie.
Weaver added that his side were prepared for the FA Cup and its “unpredictable nature”.
He said:
“It’s massively important to our season. You can’t budget for it, because of the unpredictable nature of the FA Cup.
“But it can be a huge bonus, not just for the coffers but for the feel good factor around the place from the changing room to the fans and at board room level.
“Everyone will come together as a collective force to do well in the FA Cup. It lifts the whole club.”
So far, Marine have overcome National League North side Spennymoor Town and National League outfit FC Halifax Town to reach the first round.
Town will be hoping for a repeat of last season’s FA Cup first round, when they defeated Bradford City 1-0 at Valley Parade.
Harrogate Town will kick off against Marine at Rossett Park at 3pm this afternoon.
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Strikers made in Harrogate set for FA Cup semi-finals
Two footballers who started out on pitches in Harrogate and Knaresborough will be bidding for a place in the Women’s FA Cup final this weekend.
Leah Galton and Rachel Daly have risen from local leagues to play as strikers for two of the biggest clubs in the country.
Galton, who began as a junior with Knaresborough Celtic and then played for Harrogate Railway, has banged in 29 goals for Manchester United Women since she joined them from Bayern Munich in 2018.
She is the joint third highest scorer in the Women’s Super League this season with eight goals.
Manchester United Women will line-up against Brighton & Hove Albion Women at 5.15pm today.
United, who have never won a major women’s trophy but are top of the Women’s Super League, will be fancied to beat lowly Brighton.
Tomorrow, Daly’s Aston Villa Women will take centre stage in the second semi-final against Chelsea Women at 2.15pm.
Daly, who started at Killinghall Nomads and won Euro 2022 with England last year, is second on this year’s leading scorer list with 13 goals.
If Manchester United and Villa win, it could result in the remarkable prospect of two local women playing up front in the cup final at Wembley.
Both semi-finals will be televised live on the BBC.
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Harrogate’s Rachel Daly fires Aston Villa Women into FA Cup semi-final
Harrogate-born Rachel Daly scored the goal that sent Aston Villa Women into their first FA Cup semi-final last night.
Daly’s extra time winner helped Villa overcome last year’s beaten finalists Manchester City Women 2-1
It was her 19th goal of a remarkable first season since her summer move back to the UK from Houston Dash.
Manchester City Women are third in the Women’s Super League — two places above the West Midlands team.
The match hung in the balance until Daly popped up at the far post in the sixth minute of extra time to score the decisive goal.
Villa are now one match from Wembley and will enter Tuesday’s semi-final draw alongside Manchester United Women, Brighton Women and table-topping Chelsea Women.
Daly, who started playing at Killinghall Nomads and now has 319,000 followers on Instagram, has been in fine form all season not only for Villa but also England.
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Harrogate Town set for FA Cup Yorkshire derby at Bradford
Harrogate Town are set for a crunch Yorkshire derby in the FA Cup first round today.
Town travel to Bradford City for a 12.30pm kick off as they look to get their cup campaign off to a good start.
More than 300 Harrogate fans are set to head to Valley Parade, and planned strike action on the railways this weekend has been called off.
Town manager Simon Weaver said his side have to remain focussed if they want to get through to the next round.
He said:
“We will just have to make sure we are focussed and concentrated throughout the game.
“We know that if you allow Bradford to play then they have got some good quality players and are organised by a very good manager.
“We can’t take our eye off the ball throughout the entirety of the game. We have got to make sure we are on it.”
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Town will be hoping for a repeat of last season when they managed to beat League One side Portsmouth to make it to the third round.
Harrogate beat Bradford last season on their visit to Valley Parade. But the Bantams took the bragging rights last month at the EnviroVent Stadium with a 2-1 win.
City boss Mark Hughes has said his side are also eyeing a cup run this campaign.
Hughes said:
Leeds United legends reminisce with Harrogate dementia residents“I am looking forward to it. A local derby is always a good watch, and we are hoping for a big turnout.
“We want to progress in the cups this season. There clearly is a financial edge to going far, but the reality is, if you get to the third round, there are some good ties we want to be involved in.
“We will try and get there. Our intention is to stay in the competition for as long as we can.
“There is a real understanding within the squad about the history of the competition. The FA Cup is not on the same level, in terms of the prestige and standing, compared to other competitions.
“We have to navigate the game at the weekend. We have beaten them away from home, so there is no reason why we should not be confident.”
Leeds United legends Eddie Gray, Tony Dorigo and Paul Reaney have visited a care home in Harrogate to reminisce about their playing days with residents who have dementia.
The ex-players were at Vida Healthcare’s new facility Vida Court on Beckwith Head Road.
The trio spoke about highlights from Leeds games over the past few decades and major career moments.
Staff also set up goals in the garden for residents to have a kickabout with the players.
It’s 50 years since Eddie Gray and Paul Reaney won the FA Cup as part of Don Revie’s famous side, and 30 years since Tony Dorigo won the First Division title under Howard Wilkinson.
Several players in the Don Revie team have suffered from dementia in recent years, including Jack Charlton and Gordon McQueen.
Sharon Oldfield, home manager at Vida Court, said:
“Activities like this are so important for our residents and they had a fantastic time meeting Tony, Eddie and Paul and sharing a pie and pint with them.
“Wellbeing and life enrichment is crucial to the lives of our residents. This special day was all about reminiscence and nostalgia, and it brought back special memories for everyone in attendance.
“Events and visits like this are crucial for encouraging residents to remember moments in their lives, and building strong bonds with staff.”
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A resident with Paul Reaney
