Harrogate Town is gearing up for the biggest game in the club’s 101-year history.
At 2.30pm today at the CNG Stadium, Town will play Boreham Wood in the National League play-off semi-final. If they win, Town will head to Wembley on August 2 for the chance to play in the English Football League for the first time.
The game today will be a bittersweet occasion for Town supporters who are not allowed into the ground due to social distancing guidelines.
However, fans will be able to watch the game from the comfort of their own home as the game will be broadcast live on BT Sport.
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Town finished the season in 2nd place after the league was curtailed due to the coronavirus pandemic and decided on a points-per-game ratio.
Simon Weaver’s men will be hoping to quickly shake off any ring rust as they have not kicked a ball in the league since drawing with Bromley 1-1 on March 7.
Boreham Wood, who finished 5th, beat Halifax Town 2-1 in their first playoff game last week.
This season the Hertfordshire side has the best away record in the league and Town has the second-best home record.
The two teams played to a 0-0 draw at the CNG Stadium in September. In December, Boreham Wood beat Town 2-1 at Meadow Park.
Writing in today’s programme, manager Simon Weaver said he hoped the game will be a day to remember for the fans.
He said:
“Today is a huge game for both sides. We haven’t got the advantage of having our fans with us but we will be making every attempt to get the win that they are hoping for.
“Many will be glued to the television and watching the game live on BT Sport. We owe it to them to give it 100% effort to reach the final”.
The winner of today’s game will play the winner of Notts County vs Barnet on August 2 at Wembley.
Harrogate Town says ‘thank you’ to fans with ticket price freezeHarrogate Town will freeze both matchday and season ticket prices next season, even if the club gets promoted to League Two.
The club said it wants to “reward loyal fans” who have been unable to watch their team play in person since March due to the lockdown.
An advanced standing matchday ticket price will remain at £16 for an adult and £12 for a concession. A standing adult season ticket will be £269 and a concession will be £189. A full price list is on the club’s website.
The English Football League and the National League are yet to announce when the 2020/2021 will begin — but last week Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave the green light for fans to return to sporting grounds from October, albeit at a reduced capacity.
Town is currently building a new stand at the CNG stadium which will increase the ground’s capacity to 5,000.
Harrogate Town will play Boreham Wood at the CNG Stadium at 2.30pm on Saturday with the winner going onto Wembley on August 2 for the chance to play in League Two next season. The game will be shown live on BT Sport.
The Stray Ferret will be reporting live from the CNG Stadium.
The winner will play the winner of Notts County vs Barnet which also takes place on Saturday.
Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver said:
“Over the last 12 weeks club business has continued and that has involved preparations for the new campaign. Part of that work involved ticket pricing. I am really pleased that, together with the directors, we decided to freeze the prices for next season whether we are playing our football in the National League or the EFL.”
“The players and I wanted supporters to know how much we count on your following, we wanted to say thank you at this difficult time. We look forward to seeing you all at the ground in the near future.”
The announcement was welcomed by Jordan Ford of the Harrogate Town Supporters Club.
The club was criticised by fans last season for raising ticket prices after its promotion from the National League North.
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Jordan told The Stray Ferret that the ticket price freeze could attract more fans to the club.
He said:
“Credit to the club in identifying the mistakes which were made last season. Hopefully this decision will drive us forwards in expanding our supporters base.
“There’s a lot of potential for new supporters in the town, and by offering an affordable ticketing policy is a great way to attract this support. It would great if those supporters will be watching us in League Two.”