Harrogate Town transfer news: Sulphurites hunt down target with promotion experience

The 27-year-old has signed a two-and-a-half year contract after moving from Northampton Town.

It was at Grimsby Town, where he was man of the match as the Mariners won the 2022 Conference play-off final, where Fox first caught the Sulphurites' eye, and they are pleased to have finally tracked him down.

“We’ve been an admirer of Ben for a few years now really, since his time at Grimsby and we moved quickly to try and get him in.” said Harrogate's head of recruitment Lloyd Kerry.

“He’s a really good character, an all-action midfielder who can chip in with a goal, wins his duels, is strong in the air and is tidy on the ball, a real all-rounder.”

Fox began his career at Burton Albion but won promotions two years running when he left for Grimsby in 2021, then Northampton the following year. He signed a new one-year Northampton contract before the start of the this season, with the option of a further 12 months.

Fox picked up a calf injury the week before Kevin Nolan took over as manager shortly before Christmas, and has not played a minute for the Merseysider. He is, though, available to make his debut at Bradford City on Saturday.

“The opportunity to come and play regularly for a really good football club is a really exciting challenge, I’m really looking forward to pulling on the shirt and giving it a really good go," he said.

“I think I’ll fit in well here, it sounds like a really good group of lads and that always goes a long way.”

“I want to win games of football and push up the league, it’s really important that we keep building on the positive performances in recent weeks.”

Harrogate have used some of the income from an FA Cup run which saw them play three televised ties, the last of the at nearby Elland Road, to add depth and quality to their quad in the shape of Bryn Morris, Tom Cursons, Tom Hill and loanees Olly Sanderson, Bryant Bilongo and Eko Solomon.