Harrogate Town's preparation and patience pays off to clear character test at Rochdale with 4-1 win

The Sulphurites had played well but they have been making a habit of that recently. Winning much less so.

Their only goal at that stage was a bonus one, smashed precisely into the bottom corner by George Thomson from distance. Manager Simon Weaver's delight as he span around seemed mixed with shock. You do not bank on goals of that quality in League Two.

And it was only an equaliser because James Bell ran across the near post to score at an early corner. At the end of the half Ian Henderson made a similar run from a corner and his header flicked the back post.

Set pieces are “a weakness of ours," admitted Josh Falkingham.

With 11 players out, Jack Muldoon and Rory McArdle added in the week, it was a test of character against a side a point below Town.

"It's all about sticking your chest out and putting a performance in, not talking about playing well, coming out and doing it," said captain Falkingham, who embodies his club, not least by being surprisingly effective for one so small.

Weaver did little to alleviate the pressure, and how he asked Town to play put big demands on too.

"I knew Gillingham had lost and I told a few of the lads, 'We're in a matchplay situation here,'" he said.

Harrogate rose to it.

Weaver insists numbers do not tell the story of their recent form but Saturday was a second away league win this season, their biggest in the Football League. It was their first consecutive league wins of 2022-23. They have scored seven goals in the last two league matches.

The caveat is blanking out the FA Cup defeat at Hartlepool United, as many have probably been trying to. Numbers can be manipulated but the gist is it was a good day.

It was pretty special for individuals too. Sam Folarin scored his first Harrogate goal and after two in his previous 32 matches, striker Luke Armstrong now has five in four.

"He's felt it," said Falkingham of a player who reached double figures this time last year. "The manager's kept faith in him and the players have. He's just been positive and worked hard. When you do that, normally the ball falls at your feet."

This was most especially a win for the work of Weaver and Armstrong, who scored two second-half goals and made the other. It was also a triumph for patience by a club too little to be unrealistic.

Firstly, Weaver got pay-back for standing by his man.

"There's no better centre-forward in the league," he argued. "He had a bit of a lean time at the start of the season but that was more us not creating enough opportunities."

Secondly, it was reward for finding a way to beat Dale despite injuries and Joe Mattock's suspension.

"We've worked all week on a system," revealed Weaver. "It takes a lot of hours watching Rochdale because there's not a lot of us staff-wise but we had to find another way to win with 11 players out."

An unusual set-up put big demands on Armstrong.

The back four and two holding midfielders were normal enough but George Thomson was on the left of midfield, Josh Coley in the hole and Armstrong and Sam Folarin – drafted into Muldoon's place on Friday – at centre-forward.

With no one on the right, it usually fell to Armstrong to provide width without leaving 22-year-old Middlesbrough loanee Folarin to face Dale's centre-backs alone.

Armstrong was doing the centre-forward bit when, 53 minutes in, Coley went on a brilliant run down the left. When Folarin stepped over the cross, Armstrong was there.

Five minutes later Armstrong played poacher again. Thomson feinted to cross a free-kick but "miskicked" for left-back Jaheim Headley – another exciting loanee, from Huddersfield Town – to get to the byline and drill a low cross.

With 58 minutes gone, the game felt won but Armstrong the right-winger confirmed it. He got to the byline this time and when Toumani Diagouraga put the pull-back onto the post, Folarin showed the right instincts to convert from yards out.

"It's great the lads carried the practice onto the pitch," said Weaver.

"As a player you constantly want that momentum and the only way you get it is by getting result after result after result,” said Falkingham.

"We didn't build that momentum (at Hartlepool) but that's back-to-back league wins."

Rochdale: O'Donnell; Keohane (Seriki 65), Graham, Ebanks-Landell, John; Brierley (Rodney 65), Diagouraga; Henderson (Sinclair 65), Ball (Malley 65), Odoh (Tulloch 83); Quigley. Unused substitutes: Nelson, Kelly.

Harrogate Town: Jameson; Ramsay, Burrell, Ferguson, Headley; Thomson (Frost 81), Falkingham, Grant (Austerfield 83); Coley (Ilesanmi 89); Armstrong, Folarin (Williams 89). Unused substitutes: Welch-Hayes, Horbury, Giles.

Referee: D Bourne (Nottinghamshire).