WATCH: Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver on a ‘whirlwhind’ few weeks

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver said this morning’s League Two fixtures announcement “brought home” the scale of the club’s historic promotion to the English Football League.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret this afternoon, Weaver described the weeks since their Wembley triumph on August 2 as a “whirlwind”.

Fixtures for the upcoming EFL campaign were released this morning and Town fans can now prepare for trips to the likes of Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.

Watch our interview with him below:

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Town will make the 220 mile trip to Roots Hall to play Southend on September 12 for their opening fixture in League Two.

The first few home games of the season will be played at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium as the artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium is replaced with grass due to EFL regulations.

Harrogate Town to play Southend in first ever EFL fixture

Harrogate Town will play Southend United in their first ever game in the Football League.

Fixtures for the upcoming EFL campaign were released this morning and Town fans can now prepare for trips to the likes of Bradford City and Bolton Wanderers.

Town will make the 220 mile trip to Roots Hall to play Southend on September 12 for their opening fixture in League Two.

The first few home games of the season will be played at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium as the artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium is replaced with grass due to EFL regulations.

The club will welcome Walsall to the Keepmoat on September 19. Town will then play Port Vale away before welcoming former Premier League side Bolton Wanderers to the Keepmoat on October 3.

A Yorkshire derby awaits a week later away at Bradford on October 10. The first ever EFL campaign for Town will end away at Cheltenham Town on May 8.

Manager Simon Weaver said he and the players are looking forward to the season getting underway.

He said:

“It’s a long way to go, but we all get along so will enjoy the trip and look forward to what is a really big fixture for us in Southend away, the start of an intriguing season for us.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for all the staff and players, there’s been so much to sort in such a short space of time, but when the excitement levels are high we manage it and look forward to the prospect of competing in the Football League.”

“You look right down the fixture list and it is new territory for us all, we have to learn fast, stay together and ride the punches at times, who knows where we may end up at the end of the season!”

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Just weeks after celebrating promotion, Town also learned of the cup competitions which await them in the Football League.

Earlier this week, the group stage for the EFL Cup was drawn and Town will be pitted against Hull City, Grimsby Town and Leicester City Under 21s in Northern Group H.

A trip to Prenton Park against Tranmere in the Carabao Cup also awaits. The competition is expected to host first round fixtures on September 5.

Harrogate Town to begin new season in three weeks

Harrogate Town will begin the 2020/21 season on September 5 in the first round of the Carabao Cup.

The team have not had long to bask in promotion glory and will play again on September 8 or 9 in the EFL Cup before kicking off their first-ever campaign in League Two on September 12.

The season will conclude on 8/9 May 2021 with the play-off final taking place at Wembley Stadium over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend May 29-31 2021.

Because the season is starting six weeks later than usual there will be 11-midweek fixtures.

If the team wins their first-round Carabao Cup clash on September 5 it would put them into the hat for a mouth-watering tie with Premier League outfits Manchester City, Liverpool and newly promoted Leeds United.

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Manager Simon Weaver has been busy in the transfer market since their historic win at Wembley less than two weeks ago, adding Jake Lawlor, Tom Walker and Connor Kirby in recent days.

Town fans are anxiously awaiting the announcement of who they will play in the league next season which will be released by the EFL on August 21 at 9am.

Town will play the first few games of the season at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium due to the artificial 3G pitch at the CNG Stadium being replaced with grass due to EFL regulations.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret last week about the 3G pitch being replaced, Town managing director Garry Plant said “it’s time to say goodbye to a very old friend that’s done brilliantly for the club.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed yesterday that fans can begin to return to football stadiums from October 1, pending no spikes in coronavirus infections.

Harrogate Town bolsters squad with two new signings

Harrogate Town have announced Jake Lawlor and Connor Kirby will join the club as they prepare for their first-ever campaign in the English Football League.

The two players will join Simon Weaver’s history-making squad who celebrated their promotion with an open-top bus parade on Saturday through Harrogate.

Centre back Lawlor, aged 29, joins on a free transfer after his contract expired with Wrexham at the end of the season. The 6ft 4in Lawlor started his career at Osset Town before spells with Guiseley and Town’s local neighbours Harrogate Railway,

As well as scoring against Town during his time at Guiseley, Lawlor started both fixtures for Wrexham home and away against Town this season and is familiar to manager Simon Weaver.

Weaver said:

“I’ve liked Jake for years, he’s a good player and to add someone of Jake’s experience still with that hunger to improve is a real lift.”

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Connor Kirby who signs on a free transfer.

Midfielder Connor Kirby joins on a free transfer from Sheffield Wednesday after being named runner-up player of the season during a loan spell at fellow League Two outfit Macclesfield Town.

Weaver described him as a “really energetic midfielder”.

He said:

“He’s local, talented lad and will do well here I’m sure – getting the right characters in means everything to us.”

“He’s a really energetic centre midfielder who is willing to break forward and put a tackle in, a good all-round, honest, hungry and talented lad.

“He has already shown he can do it in League Two and he’ll attack it with confidence; as soon as I met him I thought he would be a great fit for us.”

‘The plastic revolution is over and grass is going down’- CNG stadium prepares for EFL

Harrogate Town’s 3G pitch is being replaced with grass as the club prepare to play in the EFL for the first time.

Synthetic surfaces are not permitted in League Two, so Town is now in the process of changing back to turf in order to be allowed to compete in the EFL.

The new ground is expected to cost a hefty total of around £200k to complete.

 

Garry Plant, managing director at the club told the Stray Ferret that it’s a “great shame” that it has to go:

“The EFL criteria says we have to play on grass so the plastic revolution is over and grass will be going down. It’s a bag of mixed feelings… it’s a great feeling to promoted, but this pitch has been amazing for the club, one of the best things we ever did and I just wish we could leave it down…

“It’s time off the pitch and so many teams train here, but it’s time to say goodbye to a very old friend that’s done brilliantly for the club.”

Turf delivery CNG stadium

Turf delivery to CNG Stadium

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It is full steam ahead with the work at the stadium to be finished by the October 10 – though the new season starts on the weekend of Saturday, September 12. Town will ground share with Doncaster Rovers until the new pitch is finished.

Thousands line streets for Harrogate Town’s open-top bus parade

Thousands of Harrogate Town supporters lined the streets to cheer on their team during a celebratory open-top bus parade today.

The parade was in celebration of the club’s historic 3-1 win over Notts County at Wembley last Sunday, taking them into League Two and the English Football League for the first time in their history.

The open-top bus was provided by Harrogate Bus Company and left a sunny CNG Stadium at Wetherby Road at around 12pm. It continued past the Empress pub, West Park, Bettys and the Cairn Hotel before returning to the ground by 12.40.

At Wetherby Road, there were scores of supporters wearing yellow and black and singing “Town are going up” as the bus passed.

Police were in attendance but the fans were well behaved and largely adhered to social distancing guidelines.

In scenes reminiscent of the UCI cycling event last summer, fans lined West Park to cheer on manager Simon Weaver and his players who showed off their National League play off trophy.

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Harrogate Town open top bus tour route this weekend

Harrogate Town has released the timings for its open top bus tour route this weekend to celebrate the club’s promotion to the football league.

The 35-minute tour around Harrogate will start at the CNG Stadium on Wetherby Road at 12.05pm, with the trophy on display.

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Here are the full timings for Saturday’s celebration:

https://twitter.com/HarrogateTown/status/1291314137025458176?cxt=HHwWgMC97bXX1esjAAAA

Irving Weaver, Harrogate Town’s chairman, mentioned the tour at last night’s Harrogate Borough Council meeting, before the official announcement. He told the councillors that he hoped promotion would bring a boost to Harrogate’s economy – something badly needed after the coronavirus lockdown.

“Let’s hope together that Harrogate Town can be promoted ever further. It is in the best interests of Harrogate. I hope that bigger away crowds will start to spend money in the town and let’s all hope that we can keep putting Harrogate on the map. We have got a parade organised for this Saturday and we will have the trophy on display then.”

A 3-1 win over Notts County at Wembley last weekend saw the club win their second promotion in three seasons.

Fans flocked to pubs across Harrogate to watch their side make history but the open top bus tour will be the first big opportunity to celebrate.

The Harrogate Bus Company CEO Alex Hornby added:

“We at The Harrogate Bus Company are delighted to be able to offer a bus to Harrogate Town Football Club so the players can have a fitting celebration for their tremendous achievement. It’s going to be a three mile moving tour running right around Harrogate, with the bus decorated in celebration of the team, and will give everyone the chance to enjoy seeing the players lift their trophy in and around the town.”

What’s in store for Harrogate Town next season?

It’s mission accomplished for Harrogate Town players and coaching staff who are heading off for a two week holiday.

Whilst they can enjoy a richly deserved break after beating Notts County 3-1 in the National League play-off final at Wembley yesterday, work behind the scenes to prepare the club for League Two football will begin immediately.

Speaking to the Stray Ferret at Wembley after the game, chairman Irving Weaver said promotion to league football was always the aim, but it’s come a lot earlier than anyone at the club had ever imagined.

Mr Weaver confirmed that the team will begin the 2020/21 campaign playing home games at the Keepmoat Stadium which is home to Doncaster Rovers.

This is because Harrogate’s 3G pitch, that was only laid in 2016, will be dug up and replaced with grass as the EFL forbids clubs to play on the artificial surface. It is expected to take ten weeks.

When Simon Weaver became manager of Town in 2009, Bolton Wanderers were playing the likes of Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League whilst Town were plying their trade in the sixth tier of English football. Next season they will be playing in the same division and Town fans will be desperately hoping that coronavirus statistics are low enough for them to make the trip to the ground that was once known as the Reebok.

There will also be a tantalising Yorkshire derby against Bradford City, who also have played in the Premier League.

Town will surely be looking to tie down on-loan Sunderland winger Jack Diamond to at least another season at the CNG Stadium. His eye-catching performances in both the semi-final and the final earnt plaudits and his technical skill looked worthy of a higher division.

Simon Weaver said last week that he’s not looking to “rip up” his winning team but said he will look to add strength in depth to the defence.

Veteran striker Jon Stead knows his way around League Two and will be hoping to have done enough to earn a new contract. In both the play-off semi final and final he came on at around the hour mark and his influence changed the course of both games.

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Promotion to League Two will give the club a welcome financial boost which could help pay for some new signings.

Each League Two club receives £472,000 a season as a “basic award” from the EFL which is their share of the league’s five-year £595m broadcasting deal with Sky Sports.

The Premier League also gives clubs £430,000 as a “solidarity payment” — which is designed to trickle some of the league’s riches down the football pyramid.

For the first time in its history, Town would also play in the League Cup, entering in round one. If the club made the draw for the second round, it would be in the hat for potential money-spinning ties with some Premier League clubs — including newly-promoted Leeds United.

Town fans who play the videogame FIFA will also rejoice, as the club will be included in the FIFA 21 edition for the first time ever.

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Harrogate Town’s history boys promoted after Wembley win

Harrogate Town will play in the English Football League for the first time in their history after beating Notts County 3-1 today at Wembley Stadium.

Town dominated the first half and went into the half-time break leading 2-0 thanks to goals from George Thompson and Connor Hall.

After conceding early in the second half and weathering a significant Notts County storm, Town clinched promotion from the National League after an incisive counter-attack saw on-loan midfielder Diamond make it 3-1 with twenty minutes to go.

For what was billed as the biggest game in the club’s history, Town fans missed out on songs and beers on the bus down to London and the walk up Wembley Way.

Even a planned screening of the game at the CNG Stadium was cancelled by North Yorkshire County Council at the last minute, so Town fans could be forgiven for thinking that just perhaps promotion just wasn’t meant to be.

But Town have relied on more than luck or superstition over the past few seasons and put in an accomplished performance to see off Notts County who have spent 156 of their 157 years playing in the EFL.

Town named an unchanged side with Aaron Martin, in only his second game for the club, getting the nod up front over the experienced Jon Stead.

It was a confident start from Town at the home of English football and it only took them five minutes to score after George Thompson swept home a cross from Ryan Fallowfield to give Town the dream start.

Aaron Martin should have made it 2-0 when he was through clean on goal in the 9th minute but he dragged his shot wide.

Jack Diamond was tripped on the edge of the box which led to a free-kick and Town’s second goal. Connor Hall put the ball away to continue Town’s dream start.

Town players did not rest on their laurels and continued to control the first half. Aaron Martin had a clear chance to make it 3-0 on 40 minutes, but his shot struck the post.

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Notts County’s Callum Roberts scored a curling free-kick immediately following the half-time breaking bringing Town right back to earth. Town dealt with some heavy pressure throughout the first 15 minutes of the second half but managed to weather the storm with a lead still intact.

Bringing the veteran Jon Stead on at the hour mark to replace Aaron Martin was a canny move from manager Simon Weaver, and his team began to look much more settled. Muldoon almost made it three after a scramble in the box.

The tension that had been building throughout the second half was extinguished when on-loan Sunderland winger Jack Diamond made it 3-1 on 70 minutes after a brilliant counter-attacking move.

Town managed to see the game out comfortably – although James Belshaw made a razor-sharp save to keep County out on the 76th minute.

Harrogate Town will play in League Two next season for the first time in their history — and after playing at Wembley with such confidence and style, they will fear no team.

For the fans, they have trips to Bradford City, Bolton Wanderers and Oldham Athletic to look forward to, should social distancing guidelines be relaxed. Even though they couldn’t be at Wembley today they will be celebrating long into the night.

 

Match preview: Harrogate Town vs Notts County

Harrogate Town will play Notts County at Wembley later today with the winner playing in the English Football League next season.

Not quite a David vs. Goliath occasion — the National League play off final will be a meeting between two clubs that have tasted different fortunes throughout their histories.

On Sunday, the Magpies will be hoping to return to league football where they have spent 157 of their 158 years, whereas Harrogate Town hopes to enter a new frontier.

Notts County are the oldest professional football league club in the world and are even former FA Cup winners, but there won’t be any fans who can remember them lifting the trophy in 1894.

Harrogate Town will walk out at Wembley for the first time this weekend. Picture Credit: Matt Kirkham Harrogate Town

They’ve been managed by some of the biggest names in English football including Howard Wilkinson, Howard Kendall and Sam Allardyce.

County were relegated from League Two in 2019 but bounced back strongly in the National League finishing just three points behind Town in third position.

In their one league encounter this season, County beat Town at the CNG Stadium 2-0, with goals from Kristian Dennis and Enzio Boldewijn.

They were due to play each other again over two legs in the semi-final of the FA Trophy, which was curtailed due to the lockdown in March. It still might go ahead which could lead to another day out at Wembley for the winning club.

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County beat Barnet in their play off game last week to reach Wembley and looked impressive with goals from Kristian Dennis and Callum Roberts.

They are the best-supported club in the division with an average attendance of 5,200 whereas Harrogate welcomes around 1,300 to the CNG.

But social distancing is a great leveller and they won’t be able to count on extra fans at Wembley with the game played behind closed doors.

Town are the current favourites with the bookies at 6/4 with Notts County at 7/4 which manager Simon Weaver isn’t fazed by.

He told the Stray Ferret:

“That’s fine and it means we must have played well and done well in the season. We know Notts County have a very strong squad and a lot of strength in depth.

“They have without doubt a lot more league experience than us but we hope to cause them problems.”

Striker Aaron Martin made his debut for Town in the tie with Boreham Wood, and he will hope to start ahead of Jon Stead and Mark Beck following an energetic performance.

But Jon Stead has big-game experience from his time in the Premier League which Weaver may look to count on.

Notts County manager Neal Ardley is expected to name the same side that beat Barnet last week.