Josh March repays faith of Harrogate Town boss

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver’s decision to rest 11-goal leading scorer Jack Muldoon for the visit of promotion-chasing Newport County may have prompted a few raised eyebrows around Wetherby Road on Saturday afternoon.

But, that call was proved fully justified in the end, with the man who took his place in the starting line-up delivering a goal and the kind of all-action performance up top which the Sulphurites have become all-too-reliant on Muldoon for.

Josh March followed up his midweek strike from the substitutes’ bench at Tranmere Rovers with a clinical 34th-minute finish to cancel out Jake Scrimshaw’s early opener for the Exiles.

And the Forest Green Rovers loanee said he was thrilled to have been able to come through with the goods after his new manager Weaver placed his faith in him.

“I was pleased to get the nod from the start from the gaffer and happy to be able to re-pay him with a goal,” the 23-year-old said.

“I’m pleased with how this week has gone.

“It was nice to get the first one and get off the mark and then one brings two, so hopefully I can kick on now.

“It’s good to get the three points and to get on the score-sheet is the cherry on the cake.”

March profited from a fine leap and flick-on from strike partner Aaron Martin as he registered Harrogate’s first goal on home soil in around 320 minutes of football, racing in behind the Newport defence before beating Nick Townsend with a confident finish.

And, it was Martin who would go on and decide the contest midway through the second period when he headed George Thomson’s inviting left-wing corner home from six yards out, moving the Sulphurites nine points clear of the League Two relegation zone.

Harrogate Town: Belshaw; Burrell, Lawlor, Smith, Francis; Power, Thomson, Falkingham, McPake; March, Martin (Muldoon 85). Unused substitutes: Minter, Hondermarck, Kiernan, Kerry, Williams.

Newport County: Townsend; Shephard, Longe-King, Dolan (Wilmott 62), Demetriou, Haynes; Gambin (Amond 76), Bennett, 
Hartigan (Collins 88); Taylor, Scrimshaw (Telford 62). Unused substitutes: King, Baker, Evans.

Referee: C Pollard (England).

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