Cheltenham Town v Harrogate Town: Simon Weaver on dressing room reaction that puts Sulphurites in with a shout
Angry words flew across Wetherby Road's home dressing room on Saturday, and manager Simon Weaver was pleased to hear them.
His Harrogate Town had just seen their run without a League Two win extended to nine matches by a 2-0 defeat to Accrington Stlaney which kept them in the relegation zone. It is a sequence they will look to break at Cheltenham Town on Saturday.
But Weaver took heart from the reaction of his players, as he does from draws in the last two away matches – the only league points his side have picked up since ending Gillingham's 21-match unbeaten run in September.
"There's certainly fire in the bellies," said Weaver. "I could feel that, I could sense it on Tuesday.
"It can be quiet in any changing room but it wasn't the other night.
"They were calling each other out and I don't mind that because there was a bit of spark there, a bit of fire. Whilst there's fire in the belly and clear thoughts I feel that we can bounce back."
Weaver, who this week added Stephen Duke-McKenna to his lengthy injury list after a broke metatarsal, sees a long away trip as an opportunity for his side.
"We get on a bus together, go to Cheltenham, stay together and make sure the clarity of message I portray to the lads is there and the backroom staff know I've got their back," he said. "We stay united.
"There's plenty of points to play for. If we bag the three points the world can seem a happier place for us but we've got to earn the right against a good team.
"They've been on the up. They like to get it down and play – so did Notts County and Barnet.
"We've got to execute the gameplan better and delve into the good experiences of the last two away games."