[themaclad]

https://www.harrogatetownafc.com/



MANAGER

Simon Daniel Weaver (born 20 December 1977) is an English football manager and former player who is manager of League Two side Harrogate Town.

As a player he was a defender from 1996 until 2012 and notably played in the Football League for Lincoln City between 2002 and 2004, he also briefly played in the league for Doncaster Rovers, Macclesfield Town and Kidderminster Harriers. He also played at non-league level for Ilkeston Town, Nuneaton Borough, Scarborough, York City, Tamworth, Boston United, King's Lynn and Redditch United. In May 2009, he was appointed player/manager of Harrogate Town and led the team to first-ever promotions to the National League in 2018 and League Two in 2020, and is currently the longest-serving manager in the top four divisions.

IN AND OUT



STATS



STORY SO FAR



No previous

Culture

Montpellier Quarter
An imposing cenotaph is an important landmark in the centre of the town. Bettys are tea rooms established in 1919 owned by Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate – the same company that markets Yorkshire Tea. Bettys has a second tea room at the RHS Harlow Carr Gardens.[48]

The Mercer Art Gallery[49] is home to Harrogate district's art collection which consists of some 2,000 works of art, mainly from the 19th and 20th centuries. The collection includes works by William Powell Frith, Atkinson Grimshaw, Sir Edward Burne-Jones, Dame Laura Knight and Alan Davie.

The View

Very winnable game if we put our minds to it, possibly a few changes given the effort they put in on Saturday, the home side played the Plastics in the same competition, Plastics won 8-0
We have a target to beat, first of two new grounds in the same week.

[themaclad]

The Fitness Test

Ali McCann has been back in team training for the past week and is getting closer to fitness, but it remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready for a return before the international break.

With the three-game week, Paul Heckingbottom admitted that there might be opportunities for some in this fixture who he maybe hasn’t seen as much of yet.

Robbie Brady isn’t expected to feature due to the knock which kept him out against Luton Town, while Milutin Osmajić’s health will be checked on having been absent through illness on Saturday.

The Sulphurites


Since reaching the EFL for the first time in their history back in 2020, Harrogate Town have established themselves in the fourth tier, and went on to finish 13th last season.

Managed by Simon Weaver, Harrogate made it through to the second round of the Carabao Cup thanks to a victory over League One side Lincoln City on the road.

They picked up their first win of the league campaign at the weekend, beating Colchester United 1-0 away from home, with Sam Folarin capitalising on a mix-up at the back by the hosts.

The Officials
[
Referee: Benjamin Speedie
Assistant Referees: Paul Newhouse and Bradley Hall
Fourth Official: Simon Mather

Benjamin Speedie will referee North End for the first time in his career on Tuesday night.

So far this season, he’s taken charge of three matches and shown three yellow cards in each of them.

[themaclad]

Harrogate Town 0 Preston North End 5 Greenwood 2 Osmajic 3
Harrogate Town line-up: Belshaw; Sims, O’Connor (Dooley, 58), Foulds; Asare, Burrell (Cornelius, 58), Sutton (Gibson, 58), Taylor; M.Daly (Duke-McKenna, 58), March, J.Daly (Muldoon, 58). Subs not used: Oxley, Falkingham, Folarin, Moorby.

PNE line-up: Woodman; Potts (Kesler-Hayden, 60), Whatmough, Lindsay (Storey, 60), Hughes (Best, 59); Holmes, Ledson, Thórdarson (Frøkjær, 73), Okkels; Greenwood (McCann, 73), Osmajić. Subs not used: Cornell, Whiteman, Keane, Riis.

Referee: Mr B Speedie.

Attendance: 2,570 (1,108 PNE fans).

It was five could quite esily have been eight, apart from the five we scored, Holmes missed a sitter and we hit the woodwork twice, however we cruised through to the next round.
A motorway free journey ove as the French would say Cote de Blubberhouse, as usual arrived hours to early although we did get a guided tour of the town whilst dropping a few fans off at the local spoons. The coach parking would bear comedy gold after the game.

Bit of a mixmatch of a ground great surface though ideal for passing it round. Six changes from Saturday, so strong enough to cope with the home side which we duly did. Dominated the early stages although Town forced the first shot of any note through March, then it was basically downhill for the home side from thereonin.
First Greenwood potted from a free kick 25 yards out, second was a penalty apparently it may have been soft after a foul Osmajic.
Milly Os fairly lethered home the third, before probably the best goal of thye game, Holmes to Potts out wide, cross turned home by Os.
Town had a bit of play forced a couple of chances one probably should have been better.

In a purple patch at the start of the second Holmes from 10 yards out put it wide, Os and Hughes both hit the woodwork, Hughes was a rocket of a shock, then came substitutions, Town put on five in one go,we put on two and momentum and interest tended to die.
Hesler- Hayden got in some great positions on the right crosses into dangerous areas had not one to receive them. Just before the end Milly Os barreled in from the right hand side and scored his third, his second hat trick against hapless opponents from Yorkshire.
Looks likes new gaffer has learned quickly how to make the most of the Balkan warrior.

Now the coach chaos, they couldn't pick up outside the ground, local plod stay were you are coaches on their waay, he was right however they didn't stop and carried on turning right about half a mile away.
They didn't come back and there was nothing to tell us what was going on, so off we set across Harrogate on frog(Palin referencre)
Had an idea were they were at the Squash club, about a mile away the last two hundred yards were down an unlit road, driver got tons of grief but put this one down to the plod.

PICTURES OF ACTION

Them attacking


Spot the ball



Paul Heckingbottom was delighted to see North End’s five goals come from the two men who started up top in the victory over Harrogate Town.

PNE progressed to the third round of the Carabao Cup with a ruthless 5-0 win at the Exercise Stadium, courtesy of a brace from Sam Greenwood and a hat-trick from Milutin Osmajić.

The pair were both brought into the starting XI and will no doubt feel they’ve done enough to push themselves into contention to start again in the weekend’s Championship clash against Oxford United.

Hecky said: “Five goals from the front two so it’s great. We know Sam’s ability from dead balls, which you can see with the first goal.

“Milly’s a very direct player who plays on the last man which is where we want him. I’m not bothered if he doesn’t do anything else, keep him out the way and play on the last man.

“He’d have probably got on the pitch on Saturday if he’d have been fit and well enough, so I’m pleased with him. There’s still a lot that needs to improve in him and the other players, but I think the biggest thing is getting the rewards for working hard and just trying to enjoy their football.”

Having only taken over as PNE boss a week ago, it’s been a successful start to Heckingbottom’s reign. North End have won twice and kept two clean sheets in the past four days, and the manager said he feels they’re in a “much better place” than a week ago.


His side got off to a flyer in Harrogate with Greenwood’s inch-perfect free-kick before the Leeds loanee doubled the lead from the spot, and then Osmajić came to the fore to net his second treble for the club.

Hecky said: “I thought the goals came at good times because even though we had control, until you get in front these games are always really difficult because Harrogate are really well organised.

“They deny you space and I felt we just started to go a little bit long when you can’t go long. That’s where the bodies are. We had to play through, be patient and when we did that we were good.

“Even in the second half, I think there were some moments where we played our best football in terms of opening them up. We hit the woodwork a few times, didn’t quite get the end product or the finish on some great moves.

“It would have been nice to do that but we can still look back in the same fashion. Although there weren’t goals [at the end of those moves], there was some good play in terms of breaking their backline.”