Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver offers encouraging words for struggling players
HARROGATE TOWN may have taken just one point from a possible 21 – but manager Simon Weaver is in no mood to lambast his players, preferring to improve them with direction and encouragement on the training ground.
On-loan Charlton striker Kanu’s seventh goal of the season and Priestley Farquharson’s late header helped the Saddlers respond to last week’s loss to Colchester and also meant Harrogate have now suffered four straight home defeats in the league.
But, despite dropping into the bottom two relegation places, Weaver is determined to coax his players back into form with positive vibes.
“We have to work with this group and keep their heads up,” said Weaver. “We won’t be beating them with a stick.
“We knew what we’d be up against with Walsall and handled their physicality until the 43rd minute. Until then we had competed well and hadn’t been bullied in the box, without really threatening in their goalmouth.
“But the first goal we conceded was disappointing and, in the second half, we didn’t show sufficient quality to break them down. After they scored, we were thinking where’s our goal coming from.
“We were playing with three forwards but didn’t quite have that attacking spark to upset them and didn’t shift the ball quickly enough.
"That made it easy for them to stay in shape and they closed the game off quite easily.”
Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Asare, O'Connor, Burrell, Sutton (Fox 72), Morris (Smith 56), Evans, Slater, Muldoon, Cursons (Duke-Mckenna 56), McCoulsky. Unused substitutes: Oxley, Etherington, Falkingham, Jameson.
Walsall: Roberts, Farquharson (Browne 88), Flint, Weir, Okeke, Finnigan, Warrington (Comley 65), Lakin (Clarke 78), Harper, Kanu (Roofe 88), Matt (Adomah 78). Unused substitutes: Hornby, Barrett.
Referee: Aaron Bannister (Sheffield).