Harrogate Town unveil new kit for upcoming season

Harrogate Town have unveiled their new home and third kit for the upcoming season.

Town will embark on their fourth campaign in EFL League Two from August.

Ahead of the new season, the club has revealed a new yellow home kit and black third kit.

Modelled by Matty Daly and Matty Foulds, the shirts are sponsored by Strata Homes.

Matty Daly and Matty Foulds in the third kit.

Matty Daly and Matty Foulds in the third kit.

Both kits will be available to purchase from the club’s shop on Commercial Street in Harrogate town centre from today.

Town are set to start the 2023/24 season away at Doncaster Rovers on August 5.

They will then entertain Forest Green Rovers in the first home league fixture of the season on August 12.

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Jack Muldoon signs contract extension at Harrogate Town

Harrogate Town forward Jack Muldoon has a signed a contract extension until June 2025.

Muldoon, who signed for Town in 2018, has made 224 appearances for the club, scoring 63 goals and 41 assists.

During his time at Harrogate, the 33-year-old helped the them achieve promotion to the English Football League, lift the FA Trophy and scored the club’s first ever goal in League Two.

The former Fylde forward is among Town’s longest serving players, with only Warren Burrell, George Thomson and Josh Falkingham having been at the club longer.

Now, alongside captain Falkingham, Muldoon has committed his future to Town.

He said:

“I’m delighted to get it over the line and to be able to keep concentrating on keeping the club where it should be in the Football League.

“I’ve been here a long time now through thick and thin, when I first signed I wanted to get the club as high as possible and that aim hasn’t changed.

“We got where we are through attitude and work ethic and we need to all come together now to keep striving forward.

“The club means so much the lads and it’s important that we instill that personality and attitude onto the young lads, I take big pride in that part of my role making sure standards are as high as they have ever been.”

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Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham signs two-year contract extension

Harrogate Town captain Josh Falkingham has signed a two-year contract extension.

The 32-year-old, who joined from Darlington in 2017, has made more than 150 appearances for the club in three separate divisions.

The deal will see Falkingham lead Town until the end of the 2024/25 season.

Falkingham said:

“I am absolutely delighted to have extended my stay for another two years. I really want to play my part in pushing the club forward in that time and together hopefully we can keep improving and pushing up the table.

“For me, it has always been about working hard and constantly trying to improve. I always push myself to give everything for this club and I will continue to do that.” 

The 32-year-old has led Town to two promotions in his five-year stint.

Famously, Falkingham captained the side to a 3-1 play-off final victory over Notts County in 2020 which saw the club promoted to the English Football League for the first time in its history.

Town manager Simon Weaver said:

“Josh has played an instrumental part in the climb the club has been on in recent years. We are delighted that he has signed this extension.

“Players, teammates, staff and supporters can all see how much this club means to him and that passion and determination is a great attribute to have in any dressing room.”

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Harrogate Town set for Christmas Yorkshire derby at Bradford

Harrogate Town are set for a Christmas Yorkshire derby as they travel to Bradford City tonight.

Simon Weaver’s men will take on the Bantams at Valley Parade for their third meeting of the season.

Town will be hoping for a repeat of November’s FA Cup first round tie, where they knocked City out after a 1-0 victory.

However, the Bantams will be expecting to build on their 2-1 win at the EnviroVent Stadium back in October.

The two teams are having contrasting seasons with Bradford pushing for a play-off place under Mark Hughes while Town have picked up form and are looking to pull further away from the relegation zone.

Weaver is hoping that Alex Pattison will be fit for the clash after returning to training this week after recovering from illness over Christmas.

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Max Wright will also be in contention after returning to the side as a substitute for the 3-2 Boxing Day win over Grimsby Town.

However, centre-back Kyle Ferguson looks set to miss the game after picking up a knee injury in training which saw him sit out of the Grimsby match.

Despite already winning at Valley Parade in the FA Cup this season, Weaver said Town have to remain focused for the league fixture this evening.

He said:

“It is a while ago now and we have played in a different style and a different way in recent weeks that has worked.

“But we will judge it in isolation. We know that they are a strong outfit. We just want to add to the points tally at the minute and focus on each game in isolation.

“We want to be really focused and be as determined as if we had lost the last few. We have to be right up for it.”

Kick off for Bradford City vs Harrogate Town will be 7.45pm tonight.

Harrogate Town set for first game in three weeks in Boxing Day clash

Harrogate Town are set to clash with Grimsby Town today in their first fixture in three weeks.

The Boxing Day match comes as Town have had two EFL League Two games postponed due to a frozen pitch.

Harrogate will welcome the Mariners to the EnviroVent Stadium in the hope of building on their 4-1 away win at Rochdale on December 3.

The fixture will be the first of three over the Christmas period.

Ahead of today’s game, Town will be without Will Smith, Dior Angus, Stephen Dooley, Matty Daly and Lewis Richards who are out injured.

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However, Joe Mattock is set to be available after missing the victory at Rochdale.

Town will be hoping for a repeat of last season when they took six points from the Mariners in the league.

Manager Simon Weaver said it was important that the players kept their focus over the next three games.

He said:

“We have got to make sure we have got that focus and don’t it slip.

“Three back to back wins would be huge for us in our season. It would make the table look completely different from where we were three games ago.

“It’s a tough prospect is this game. I have been watching a lot of the coverage of Grimsby. They had a great FA Cup victory against Plymouth, they went to Wimbledon and were probably the better team on the day and they beat Tranmere last time out.

“We know Paul Hurst, he was the last manager I played under. I know the quality he looks for in players and he is a very good manager.”

Harrogate Town new scoreboard plan approved

A new scoreboard at Harrogate Town has been approved as part of the club’s stadium redevelopment.

The digital screen will sit in the south west corner of the EnviroVent Stadium.

Besides displaying the score, it will show substitutions made during a game and other match information, such as transport or safety news.

Harrogate Borough Council has now given approval for the plan.

The EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road is due to undergo a £3.5 million upgrade, funded by chairman Irving Weaver.

A statement submitted to the council said:

“The new scoreboard will complement the stadium and improve the spectator experience.”

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The club has said it is the board’s ambition to create a “sustainable and thriving club, for future generations to enjoy”.

The club also has to abide by English Football League criteria for its ground following Town’s promotion to League Two in 2020.

The proposals include a new seated stand, match day bar and improved ticketing facilities.

The ground on Wetherby Road has been home to the Sulphurites since 1920, but in recent years it has struggled to keep pace with the club’s rapid rise up the divisions into the English Football League.

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.

Harrogate Town to kick off third Football League season

Harrogate Town are set to kick off their third season in the Football League this afternoon.

Town will take on Swindon Town at the EnviroVent Stadium at 3pm.

Simon Weaver’s men will be hoping to consolidate their position in the EFL League Two and build upon last season’s 19th place finish.

Speaking ahead of the opening day, Weaver said pre-season had gone well for Town.

He said:

“It’s been a positive pre-season, as tough as we have ever given the lads to be honest both in the physical workloads and the games and the opposition they have had to face.

“When you take into consideration quite wholesale changes to the squad, it’s been quite challenging. But I think the last three performances have been positive and the results have suggested an upward curve as well.”

Wholesale changes

Town have made 10 new signings during the summer transfer window so far and seen 11 players leave the club.

Among the new arrivals is Tyler Frost, who signed a six-month deal this week and will be available for the Swindon clash.

Weaver said the squad needed to improve defensively on last season.

He said:

“We were reflecting on last season and there was no getting away from that defensively we weren’t good enough.

“We looked at how we could revamp it individually. First of all, we started with the shape and looked at the shape of our team and then looked at the players – round pegs for round holes – and then fitted the players for each of those positions we needed to sort out.

“There’s more youth about us as a squad, but also at the same time it has been more challenging bringing in more pedigree as well which is necessary. We looked at little bit raw for the level at times last year.

“But hopefully there is more flexibility within our squad now to be able to tweak and change when necessary, even within games. But overall we’re happy with the recruitment.”

Tough opening game

Town will take on last season’s play-off semi-finalists Swindon Town for their opening game.

Rory McArdle will miss the game with an injury sustained at the end of last season.

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Meanwhile, skipper Josh Falkingham also misses the game through injury, but is closer to a return to action.

New signing Max Wright will also miss out with an ankle injury which will keep him out for four months.

Weaver described the clash against Swindon as a big game for the opening match.

He said:

“They don’t get much bigger do they? They reached the play off semi-final stage last season and they’re a strong outfit, aren’t they?

“Historically, they’ve played at the top level and they’ve got some good quality players and it will be a test.

“This week, we’ve just tried to inform the lads of what to expect in terms of their style of play and how they like to keep the ball and get into key areas.”

Harrogate Town plans new scoreboard as part of stadium improvements

Harrogate Town has lodged plans for a new scoreboard as part of its ground redevelopment.

The digital screen would sit in the south west corner of the ground, under plans submitted to Harrogate Borough Council.

The board would be used to show supporters the score, substitutions made during a game and other match information, such as transport or safety news.

Harrogate Town currently has no scoreboard in place.

An example of a scoreboard planned for Harrogate Town as submitted to the council.

An example of a scoreboard planned for Harrogate Town as submitted to the council.

A statement submitted to the council said:

“The new scoreboard will complement the stadium and improve the spectator experience.”

The council will make a decision on the plan at a later date.

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The plans come as the club’s EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road is to undergo a £3.5 million upgrade, funded by chairman Irving Weaver.

The club has said it is the board’s ambition to create a “sustainable and thriving club, for future generations to enjoy”.

The club, which recently announced an increase in season ticket prices, also has to abide by English Football League criteria for its ground following Town’s promotion to League Two in 2020.

The proposals include a new seated stand, match day bar and improved ticketing facilities.

The ground on Wetherby Road has been home to the Sulphurites since 1920, but in recent years it has struggled to keep pace with the club’s rapid rise up the divisions into the English Football League.

Fans hopeful new Harrogate Town ticketing system will boost crowds

Harrogate Town fans are optimistic that a new deal with US ticketing giant Ticketmaster will solve some of last season’s problems at the turnstiles.

The club announced this week that Ticketmaster will become its official ticketing partner on a ‘long-term contract’ with immediate effect.

Last season, well-documented problems with the club’s ticketing system soured the matchday experience on occasions and left some fans unable to attend a home match against Stevenage in September.

Throughout the season, fans were unable to buy tickets at the ground after 11am on matchday and tickets were only available online until midnight the night before a game.

It meant the club’s shop on Commercial Street was the only place to pick up a ticket close to kick off.

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Jordan Ford, Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, called the previous system “not fit for purpose” and had put fans off going to games.

He said:

“An improvement in the ticketing system will be welcomed by all supporters. It was apparent that what was in place wasn’t fit for purpose, and no doubt impacted on the number of fans coming to the ground. It’s good to see the club recognising areas of improvement, and this is definitely a positive move for both the club and its fans.”

The club said details on ticket prices for next season will be announced soon.

The new ticketing system is part of a £3.5m investment by chairman Irving Weaver into the club’s EnviroVent Stadium on Wetherby Road.

Hamilton Mattock, Harrogate Town ticket office manager, said:

“We are delighted to have come to an agreement with Ticketmaster Sport and are looking forward to improving our ticket purchasing journey for supporters. Given the problems faced over the 21/22 season, Ticketmaster will make the entire ticketing process much smoother for both staff and supporters with their support and range of solutions. The platform will continue to develop and meet the needs of our fans as we continue with our ambition of growing the crowd.”