SIMON WEAVER welcomed Harrogate Town’s return to their no frills, non-league roots after boosting their survival hopes with a 2-0 win at Barrow.

Jack Muldoon scored his first league goal of the season after 56 minutes and then provided an assist for Josh March to double Town’s lead five minutes later.

Connor Mahoney skied a 74th minute penalty for the hosts after taking the ball off substitute Ged Garner as Harrogate ended a winless run stretching back to an FA Cup tie on November 29.

Promoted from the National League alongside Barrow in 2020, Harrogate’s first victory in eight lifted them five points above the drop zone.

“It is only one win but it goes some way to bridging the gap between ourselves and several teams ahead of us,” said delighted boss Weaver.

“We got here through spit and sawdust in non-league by battling.

“While we may never have been perfect, the battling qualities have been perfect. Some people have lost sight of that at times.

“We know how to fight and today there was evidence of that. The performance was good right from the start.

SPIT AND SAWDUST: Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver. Picture: Richard Sellers/PA

“You could see in the first 10 minutes everyone was up for the fight. We were organised and didn’t carry any passengers.”

Harrogate’s next game is against Leeds in the FA Cup but Weaver said: “We are fighting for our lives in League Two.

“The priority is staying up for a club like us. We have done it four times on the bounce and we want to do it again.”

Barrow: Farman, Vassell, Canavan, Cameron (Eccleston 30), Newby (Kirk 68), Spence, Gotts, Jackson, Mahoney, Acquah (Garner 68), Dallas (Fletcher 67). Unused substitutes: Tiensia, Foley, Stanway.

Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Moon, O'Connor, Burrell, Sims, Cornelius, Sutton, J Daly, Morris, Muldoon, March (Folarin 90). nused substitutes: Oxley, Asare, Duke-Mckenna, Dooley, M Daly, Bray.

Referee: Stuart Morland (England).

Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver pleased with battling qualities of Sulphurites at Barrow