‘Weaverismo!’: Meet the Harrogate Town fan who lives in Argentina

When Diego Sanchez decided to follow an English club he was seduced by Simon Weaver’s men in yellow and black rather than the more obvious options.

The 17-year-old schoolboy lives in Buenos Aires, almost 7,000 miles away from Wetherby Road.

He first heard about the club after reading an article about cult favourite Simon Ainge who became an unexpected goal machine in 2016.

Two years ago Diego then set up a Twitter account called Harrogate Town Argentina that has amassed over 1,000 followers and charts the highs and lows of the club in Spanish.

Fiery passion

Despite being so far away, he might just be the most passionate Town fan there is online.

Tweets include ‘HOYYYYY JUEGA EL HARROGATEEEEE’ (Today Harrogate plays) and ‘MARK LA COBRA ESCOCESA BECK ARRANCO ON FIRE EN DARLINGTON’ (Mark ‘The Scottish Cobra’ Beck is on fire at Darlington).

He also celebrates like he’s there in the ground every time the team score a goal:

https://twitter.com/HarrogateArg/status/1559620586627891201?s=20&t=SYjtMXY488eTTQ4fWpy3Pw

Committed fan

It’s not easy following a club on the other side of the world and Diego says it requires a lot of patience and commitment.

Fortunately, games are now streamed live over the internet and the time difference is only four hours.

His favourite player is Jack Muldoon and social media gives him the chance to interact with his heroes. He describes the feeling when a player likes one of his Tweets as being “a caress to the soul”.

 He said:

“[Jack Muldoon] is a player that when he catches the ball he gives you the illusion that anything can happen. 

“Another thing that makes me very happy is being able to interact with the players or with the club’s coaching staff. Any small gesture like a thank you for an edit or a like on a tweet is like a caress to the soul.

“My favourite player was Connor Hall (who has since left for Port Vale) because I was able to interact with him through social media. He seemed a very good person. I am very happy for him and for what he is achieving at his new club”.

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Diego is also a River Plate fan, who plays in the 100,000-seater El Monumental stadium. The fiery atmosphere there is legendary and a bucket list visit for football fans around the world.

But Diego yearns to be in the kop end at the EnviroVent Stadium and would love to visit Harrogate one day to watch a game.

Credit: River Plate FC

Diego said:

“If one day I get to attend a Harrogate match it would surely be crazy for me.

“I still haven’t imagined it, but if it happens, I would try to enjoy it as much as possible.

“Here in Argentina, the fans are among the best in the world, I know El Monumental and the atmosphere there is crazy.”

Trust in Weaver

Harrogate Town are on a bad run of results and have lost their last five games but they can always count on the support of their fan in Argentina. Diego added:

“I feel a bit worried about the recent form in the last few games but I fully trust the guys and Weaver to come through.”

You can follow Diego on Twitter here.

Harrogate’s Archie Gray signs scholarship with Leeds United

Archie Gray has signed a two-year scholarship with Leeds United.

The 16-year-old footballer is one of the club’s most highly-rated youngsters and joins nine other prospects in signing new deals.

The academy, which is based at Thorp Arch near Wetherby, offers players a variety of educational programmes including the BTEC diploma and A Levels that they can learn alongside developing their football skills.

Gray recently completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate.

The midfielder is yet to make his full debut for the club but has been named as an unused substitute in the Premier League.

On the final day of last season, he celebrated the club surviving relegation in the dressing room before going to sit his exams the next day.

Leeds United said:

“Everyone at the club wishes our new scholars well as they begin, or continue with, their Leeds United journey within our academy.”

Archie Gray (4th from right)

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Goalkeeper’s journey from Harrogate Railway to the Champions League

Beginning your career at Station View in Starbeck and ending up at grounds like the San Siro, Nou Camp and the Allianz Arena is an unlikely, even implausible, career path, but Jon McLaughlin was tipped for the top from the very start.

The 34-year-old Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper started last night during a 1-0 win over PSV that secured his club’s place in the Champions League group stages for the first time in over a decade.

Rangers were regulars in the competition in the 2000s when McLaughlin was starting out his career at Harrogate Railway.

Back then, he was a lanky 19-year-old student at Leeds Metropolitan University taking his first steps into part-time, non-league football.

‘The Battle of Harrogate’

McLaughlin made his debut for Railway in the Unibond League Cup away at Gateshead in 2006, due to an injury to the first-choice keeper.

He soon cemented his place in the side and stood out during Railway’s second fairytale FA Cup run of that decade. They were eventually knocked out by Mansfield Town in the 2nd round, live in front of the BBC cameras.

Earlier in the competition, fans of both Railway and Harrogate Town fondly remember his performance in a 2-1 qualifying win over a pre-Irving Weaver Harrogate Town.

The two clubs were at a much more even level than today.

It was a blustery October afternoon game that was watched by 1,300 at Station View. In a match report, non-league blogger Paul Kirkwood described the atmosphere, which contrasts wildly to the cauldron of Ibrox that the goalkeeper plays in today.

“The local paper tried to bull up the match as ‘The Battle of Harrogate’ but it was more like a cordial meeting of two old friends at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms down the road.”

The Scot’s talent was evident, and it was clear Railway had found a gem.

Following Railway’s FA Cup heroics, he was signed by Town in early 2008. At the time, then-Railway boss Vince Brockie predicted the 20-year-old would play for Scotland one day, and he eventually did in 2018.

‘Massive for the club’

Railway’s secretary Dave Shepherd said he was proud to see one of the club’s former players make it to the top of the game

“To have an ex-footballer make it at the very top level is massive for the club.

“He was quiet really, even back then, but he was very dependable. He always turned up for training and games and was never a problem.

“I can remember back then we had a group of lads who came and sang to him, Scotland’s number one, tongue in cheek.”

Harrogate Railway’s vice chairman Lee Holmes said Railway has been a good starting point for many players over the years.

“He was really, really good. I was there for the match against Town and he did well. He was a brilliant player.”

Katherine Swinn, of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, also remembers McLaughlin as a “great keeper, too good for non-league and very highly thought of”.

Up the ladder

After leaving Town after half a season, McLaughlin moved to professional, full-time football with Bradford City. They were then managed by Harrogate resident and fellow Scot Stuart McCall.

His career has included a League Cup final at Wembley and he will be hoping to make the Scotland squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year, but he still credits his time in Harrogate as laying the foundations for his success.

He told the Daily Record in 2020

“I follow all my former teams. Harrogate Town just got 
promoted and it’s great to see them starting to build.

“When I was at Harrogate Railway before that, the pitches were open to anyone who wanted to walk in but nobody wanted to walk in unfortunately!

“There were a couple of men and a dog watching games so it’s the polar opposite to now.

“It’s great to be where I am now and hopefully it means I’ll never take it for granted.

“I have an appreciation for what I have now. I know first hand the difference between lifestyles from then and now – and the hours you have to dedicate to it.

“I don’t think any of the 
Harrogate lads are playing pro football now. We’re talking about quite a few levels below the National League in England so it was part-time boys.

“We try to stay in contact but I don’t get down too often. I don’t get the chance to get involved in the reunions but it would be great to go back.”

Rachel Daly picked for England World Cup 2023 qualifier squad

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly has been called up to the England Lionesses’ squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Daly, who recently joined Aston Villa, is among the 23-player squad which will take on Austria and Luxembourg next month.

The Lionesses will be hoping to build on their Euro 2022 triumph by booking a place at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.

England manager Sarina Wiegman said:

“It only feels like yesterday since we were celebrating at Wembley, but we have to get straight back to business. 

“We have a big target in front of us this month to book our place at the World Cup, and we have to set aside our amazing memories of this summer for the moment.”

Daly, who attended Saltergate and Rossett schools, has seen a lot of success on the pitch in the past few months.

After helping the Lionesses win the Euros at Wembley against Germany last month, she signed for Women’s Super League side Aston Villa from Houston Dash in the USA. She now has almost 300,000 followers on Instagram.

The 30-year-old said it was a big decision to move to Villa, but added that it was right to come home as “family is the most important thing”.

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Harrogate’s Rachel Daly given hero’s welcome at Elland Road

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly received a hero’s welcome at Leeds United’s Elland Road stadium this past weekend.

Daly, who is a lifelong fan of Leeds United, was welcomed onto the pitch ahead of the club’s opening day Premier League clash against Wolves on Saturday.

She received a standing ovation and gave a pitch side interview before kick off.

She made the appearance off the back of being part of England’s Lionesses’ historic win at Euro 2022.

Daly and her teammates captured the heart of a nation after clinching the title with a 2-1 defeat of Germany last week.

Following her pitch-side appearance, Daly saw Leeds pick up all three points with a 2-1 win with goals from Rodrigo and an Aït-Nouri own goal.

In June, Daly lived out a childhood dream when she played at Elland Road in an international friendly against the Netherlands.

https://twitter.com/LUFC/status/1555916110700101632?s=20&t=ZxSSO4o_-4xsBGRQRnXI3A

She used to watch the men’s team play at the club’s famous old ground when she was a season ticket holder as a child.

Daly even has a line from the Leeds anthem Marching on Together tattooed on her forearm.

She said in an interview ahead of the Netherlands friendly:

“It’s a club that has held such a special place in my heart and my family’s heart and I’ve got so many memories of being at Leeds.”

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Simon Weaver: Harrogate Town have been through a ‘cycle of change’

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has said the club has been through a “cycle of change” as they head into the second week of the new season.

Town got off to a winning start last weekend against Swindon Town, picking up three points after a 3-0 win at the EnviroVent Stadium.

Weaver told the Stray Ferret that the squad had undergone wholesale changes ahead of the campaign, which needed to be made alongside a fresh style of play.

Town played a 3-4-2-1 formation last weekend and gave debuts to the likes of Matty Daly — one of 10 new additions to the squad.

Speaking ahead of tomorrow’s clash against Crewe Alexandra, Weaver said he hoped the changes would bring greater depth to the squad and prevent Town from dropping falling away again later in the season.

He said:

“We hope so. We’re excited about the start of the season. We’ve made so many new changes — new style of play, new training ground.  We’ve had a whole cycle of change with the players.

“The last couple of years we just haven’t had the depth we needed. Injuries really hit us in the face. We’ve now got younger lads coming through and we can keep people fresh and have a good season throughout.”

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Debutant Daly, who is on loan from Huddersfield Town, was on the scoresheet in the opening game, alongside Jack Muldoon and Alex Pattison.

The formation and style contributed to Town scoring three of their five shots on target.

When asked if he was happy with how the season has started, Weaver said the club had “a long way to go”.

He said:

“We are only 10 metres into a marathon so we have a long way to go.

“We have more pace now. Last season the counter attacks against us were quite potent. We didn’t have the right shape defensively. We can now be more patient with the ball.”

Town take on Crewe at Gresty Road at 3pm tomorrow.

The Railwaymen were relegated last season after finishing bottom of League One.

Town will be without Rory McArdle, Will Smith, Josh Falkingham and Max Wright who are injured for the clash.

Ticket information is available here.

Business Breakfast: New Harrogate Town sponsorship deal

Business Breakfast is sponsored by Harrogate law firm Truth Legal. 

Harrogate Town has announced a new partnership with Barclays LED Solutions.

As a result, the Wetherby Road Terrace at the EnviroVent stadium has been renamed the Barclays LED Solutions Stand.

Barclays LED Solutions has been working with the club over the summer to install new energy saving LED floodlights that will improve the lighting at the ground and reduce environmental impact.

Dave Barclay, owner of Barclay LED Solutions said:

“We are thrilled to partner with the club, after completing works on replacing the floodlights with LED we knew we wanted to continue working with Harrogate Town and the right opportunity came at the right time.

“Harrogate Town is an integral part of the community that brings so many people together and we are delighted to be involved with the club and show our support of Town.”

Barclay LED Solutions, founded over 30 years ago as an electrical contracting business now specialises in the design, supply and installation of LED lighting to the sports, commercial and industrial markets.

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Ripon pies win taste award

Ripon based Yorkshire Handmade Pies has picked up a 3 star Great Taste Award for its steak and kidney pie.

The company was also awarded  2 stars for its steak and black pudding and Yorkshire samosa pies, and 1 star for its mushroom and ale and steak and ale pies.

More than 14,000 products were put through the competition’s rigorous blind judging process, with only 241 products from around the world being awarded the Great Taste 3-star accolade, which is awarded for ‘extraordinarily tasty food and drink’.

Yorkshire Handmade Pies are made from local ingredients including slow-cooked Heritage breed beef, herb-fed free-range chicken and grass-fed Wagyu beef, all farmed in harmony with the environment.

Founder James Sturdy said:

“We are over the moon. So fantastic for the team to be recognised for all their hard work. Five awards is a seriously impressive haul – it’s hard to get any awards so five is really good, especially the 3-star one.

“We’re so proud of our local area and of representing Yorkshire’s finest produce on an international stage. Great Taste is the most recognised accolade in the food and drink world. For independent producers like Yorkshire Handmade Pies it really means a huge amount to be recognised.”

 

The award winning steak and kidney Yorkshire Handmade Pie. 

Former school leads messages to Harrogate’s football champion Rachel Daly

Organisations across Harrogate have been giving their congratulations to England football star Rachel Daly today, after she helped the team to a historic victory in the European Championships.

The Lioness, who grew up in Harrogate, spent the day at Trafalgar Square where a victory parade was held in front of thousands of fans — but her home town was keen to ensure she received its best wishes too.

The messages were led by Rossett School, which Rachel attended as a teenager, becoming a star in its football teams. Headteacher Helen Woodcock said:

“Rachel Daly and the Lionesses have brought a real sense of national achievement and pride to the world of English football. We are so proud of her, here at Rossett!

“We have a long tradition of sporting excellence at Rossett – especially in football – with our young women and men going on to football scholarships both here and abroad. Most recently we have cemented our relationship with the sport in beginning a partnership with Harrogate Town, providing a home for their academy training.

“We are immensely proud of Rachel Daly; her work ethic, her resilience and her longevity in the game. All Rossett students and staff were shouting themselves hoarse in encouragement and then in celebration as she tackled and defended as part of the amazing team effort against a strong German side on Sunday.

“Rossett School are looking forward to preparing the next generation of young women and men heading towards sporting excellence as part of its school and community football programmes.

“We hope to welcome Rachel to the school soon to inspire our young women to look at taking their skills a step further, realising a career in the sport at local, national and international level.”

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Community football teams were also singing her praises:

you were simply amazing @RachelDaly3 and all the @Lionesses https://t.co/FB28hVSrWG

— FDS Harrogate Soccer School (@FDSHarrogate1) July 31, 2022

Among those sending their congratulations was a parent of a young player at Killinghall Nomads, where Daly used to play as a child.

As the Mum of a Killinghall Nomads JFC girl, you and the lionesses have inspired a generation of young girls ⚽️❤️ and so much more. Congratulations and thank you! @RachelDaly3

— Alexandra Vere (@alexsvere) August 1, 2022

Tweets were also posted by local organisations, including Visit Harrogate:

https://twitter.com/VisitHarrogate/status/1554044676717613057

There have been calls in Scarborough to give their local Lioness, Beth Mead, the freedom of the town.

The Stray Ferret asked Harrogate Borough Council if there were any plans to mark Daly’s achievement or put on a homecoming parade, but had not received a response at the time of publication.

However, the authority did share a tribute on Twitter:

Congratulations to @RachelDaly3 and all the @Lionesses on such an incredible achievement!#̵I̵t̵s̵C̵o̵m̵i̵n̵g̵H̵o̵m̵e̵ #ItsHome https://t.co/5X7XzdMTxs

— Harrogate Borough Council (@Harrogatebc) August 1, 2022

‘That was for you’ – Harrogate Lioness’s tribute to late dad

Harrogate football star Rachel Daly has paid tribute to her late father after winning the European Championship final at Wembley.

The England player posted a picture of Martyn Daly on her Instagram account with the caption “That was for you” after the 2-1 victory over Germany last night.

Mr Daly had been a huge influence on and supporter of his daughter’s career until his death last September.

Speaking before an England warm-up game at Elland Road in June, she told the matchday programme his loss had affected her approach to the sport they both loved:

“It will be so awful to not have him there because I think it would have been one of his proudest moments.

“I have a different perspective towards football and life now. Football has always been the be-all-and-end-all for me, and it still is, but now I play for a different purpose as well.

“When I get on the pitch, it’s not just about me performing, it’s me performing to make my dad even more proud than he already was.

“I think I carry that weight with me, but it’s a nice weight to have because it’s every game I want to do better and better. I know I’m making him proud up there.

“But in a way, that’s what will make it even more special, having the rest of my family there knowing how big fans we are.”

In response to her post on Instagram, fans and friends told her he would be “so proud” of what she had achieved with the Lionesses.

Mr Daly lived in Harrogate and was himself a semi-professional footballer, playing for Harrogate Town and Knaresborough Town in the 1980s and 1990s.

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Last summer, as the team prepared to compete at the 2020 Olympics, Mr Daly spoke to the Stray Ferret about his pride in his daughter, not just because of her achievements but also the role model she was to other young women and girls.

He added:

“She’ll never realise what she’s done in the game until it’s over.

“Every pro has a cockiness about them but she’s down to earth too, she’s just my daughter.”

This morning, Daly and her teammates were heading to Trafalgar Square for a victory parade, celebrating the first tournament win for any England football team since 1996.

Daly posted a photo of herself on Twitter with her winner’s medal.

Good morning pic.twitter.com/6e78642uM4

— Rachel Daly (@RachelDaly3) August 1, 2022

Harrogate’s Rossett School could swap three tennis courts for 3G pitch

Rossett School is planning to remove three tennis courts and replace them with a new artificial 3G football pitch.

The school has submitted a planning application to Harrogate Borough Council that would see football facilities improve at Rossett Sports Centre.

There is currently a high demand for 3G pitches in the area, particularly since Harrogate Town were forced to remove theirs after promotion to the English Football League two years ago.

Last year, the school raised £10,000 through a fundraiser to replace its current 3G pitch.

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3G pitches are a way for schools to make extra income by hiring out the facility to local teams.

St Aidan’s Church of England High School has planning permission to build a new 3G pitch, which is set to open from 6pm to 8pm for community clubs to use.

St John Fisher Catholic High School also has a 3G pitch available for hire and Ashville College has an astroturf pitch.

The Stray Ferret asked Rossett for further details on its plans but a spokesperson declined to comment.

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