Harrogate Town director Garry Plant leaves club

Garry Plant’s role as a director of Harrogate Town has been terminated, and he has left the club.

Mr Plant was managing director from 2014 until the appointment of former Stray FM boss Sarah Barry as chief executive in October.

As part of the restructuring behind the scenes, Mr Plant moved to become the commercial director with Ms Barry overseeing the whole operation.

Mr Plant was in charge of business operations during the most successful period of Harrogate Town’s history. He oversaw improvements to the club’s Wetherby Road ground and was part of the club’s move to full-time professional football.

Mr Plant, who has also had a career in the chemical and coating sector, is no longer listed as a director on the club’s Companies House profile. According to Companies House, his directorship terminated on November 22.

A Harrogate Town spokesman confirmed the news and said “we wish him all the best for the future.”

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Harrogate Town ‘delighted and relieved’ at play-off confirmation

Harrogate Town managing director Garry Plant said he is “delighted and relieved” after the National League confirmed last night that the club will enter the play-offs for the chance to win promotion.

The decision ends an agonising three-month wait for the club and its supporters who have been waiting to find out how the season will be concluded since the season was paused in March.

National League clubs agreed to send Barrow AFC up as champions with the second to seventh-placed teams competing for the final promotion place in a play-off competition in July.

It means Town, who finished in second place, will play for the chance to compete in the English Football League for the first time in its history. It’s estimated that promotion could be worth between £1million to £1.5million to the club.

Harrogate will play the winners of Boreham Wood vs Halifax at Wetherby Road in July, with the final played at a neutral venue later that month. All games will be played behind closed doors.

Mr Plant told the Stray Ferret that the club is especially pleased for the supporters who “have been anxiously awaiting the outcome” of the vote.

He added:

“We are advised that the semi-final will be broadcast by BT Sports and now we are firming up on all the contingency plans we have been working on over the last 10 weeks.”

Even though the club’s supporters would miss out on an unforgettable day out at Wembley if they reach the final, they still hope to be able to watch the play-off games together, albeit socially distanced.

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Jordan Ford from the Harrogate Town Supporters Club told us that a big screen could be put up on the Stray to allow fans to watch the televised games together two metres apart.

But another Town Fan, Rob Nixon, told the Stray Ferret that watching the play-off away from Wetherby Road will take some getting used to.

He said:

“It will be strange, especially if I can’t watch it with other people. The greatest thing about watching Town is the atmosphere at matches.”