Harrogate Town 1 Barnet 2: Sulphurites don't look back in anger as six-year adventure comes to an end

Remarkably, the only was has been up for the small North Yorkshire club since they dropped out of Yorkshire Football League Division Two in 1978, but time ran out on them at home to Barnet.

After a six-year adventure in the Football League, Harrogate will be back in non-league football in 2026-27.

It hardly comes as a great shock. They have been punching above their weight from the moment they beat Notts County at an echoey Wembley in their Covid-season Conference play-off final win in 2020.

Any team that goes 20 league games without a win, as Harrogate did between October and February is always going to struggle to stay up.

So when the final whistle was blown on a 2-1 defeat, there were no bitter recriminations.

A few had drifted away before the final whistle but many stayed to applaud their players who had taken the fight into the final 20 minutes of the seasons.

"See you next seasons" bounced about the stands and the mournful tones of Snow Patrol played over the tannoy as the dejected players traipsed around. Harrogate have been chasing cars on bicycles for a six years now.

They got off to a dreadful start when centre-back Cathal Heffernan underhit his backpass. A team in the form Barnet – now unbeaten in nine – were always unlikely to pass that up, and Kabongo Tshimanga was able to pick Callum Stead out for a sixth-minute opener.

With the home side looking nervous in a game which struggled for rhythm, Mark Oxley was forced to plunge to his right to keep out an effort from Tshimanga in the 13th minute.

Although Harrogate showed some promise down their left, it took until the 28th minute for them to force a save, but they were quick to pounce on it.

Shawn McCoulsky and Nikola Travers were having a running battle which saw both earn first-half cautions and the latter substituted at the break, but the key moment was a foul by the defender.

From the free-kick, Bryn Morris curled a free-kick which Cieran Slicker tipped around the post. Bobby Faulkner was first to the corner but unable to get a clean contact under pressure.

Harrogate, though, kept the ball alive and when Jacob Slater was fouled in the penalty area, Morris stepped up to smash a penalty which Slicker guessed right to, but could not keep out.

The stadium rose to his feet, believing their team could do something, and those on the field in yellow and black visibly grew in confidence without managing to get McCoulsky clear.

The only other chance of note before half-time was the one Barnet's Idris Kanu had deflected wide, but scores elsewhere meant that all four teams competing to avoid joining Barrow in next season's Conference were level on 40 points, and Harrogate's goal difference was keeping them above the dreaded dotted line.

Harrogate turned up the pressure at the start of the second half.

A slip by a Barnet player allowed them to release McCoulsky but his 50th-minute shot came off the underside of the crossbar.

Half-time substitute Kane Smith made a vital intervention to deny Hill a shot, and Slicker punched away a Slater cross after the left-back was released by Morris' lovely pass.

Even when Oxley was forced into a low save by Mark Shelton, Harrogate threw a punch straight back, Hill dibbling across goal and shooting wide.

But the second goal did not come.

Tobias Brennan went through on goal but could not seem to decide whether to lob the goalkeeper or square for Hill and ended up skewing a lofted pass which found the goalkeeper instead.

Jack Evans won the ball in midfield and carried the ball goalwards, but could not hit the target when he got within range.

Twice Oxley was called into action in the 78th minute by Kane Smith, and the mood grew desperate.

"We need a goal," the home fans sang as news of a Newport County equaliser came through.

Within minutes there was one, but at the wrong end.

Philip Chinedu had just come on as a substitute and Barnet were able to work the ball across so he could find the net with his first touch.

With Newport now in front at Barrow and apart from the 463 away fans, Wetherby Road was subdued, supporters starting to drift away.

The players kept at it, Bobby Faulkner putting in a big tackle to stop Chinedu shooting again, but it was clear hope was evaporating.

The cries of support were more like pleas as Morris picked the ball up and again swept a pass out to the left. When no one else was able to take advantage of Stephen Duke-McKenna's stoppage-time ball in, he half-volleyed wide.

Still they kept coming. Slicker claimed a Slater corner, then made a brilliant save to deny Heffernan, up to the edge of the area from centre-back. Thomson had a shot blocked, then put a ball in which Slater headed wide.

But it never felt like a great escape was coming, and so it proved.

There was no shame for Harrogate, no bitterness.

The DJ switched to Don't Look Back in Anger as the fans filed out. Theirs has been a remarkable journey but this chapter, at least, is over.

Harrogate Town: Oxley; Cass, Faulkner, Heffernan, Slater; Evans, Morris; Hill (Duke-McKenna 73), Brenan (Thomson 65), Smith; McCoulsky.

Unused substitutes: Acquah, Headman, Sutton, Gibson, Waller.

Barnet: Slicker; Senior, Tavares (Smith HT), Crichlow-Noble, Collinge (Kizzi 65); Hartigan (Ofoborh 65), Shelton; Kanu (Chinedu 82), Glover (Jaiyesimi 67), Stead; Tshimanga.

Unused substitutes: Evans, Winterburn.

Referee: T Parsons (Rochdale).