Injury-hit Harrogate Town facing their 'biggest test' after sixth defeat in seven
Simon Weaver says his Harrogate Town side are facing their biggest test since rising to the English Football League.
Weaver’s injury-hit side suffered a sixth defeat in seven winless matches against Salford, a sequence of results that has seen them drop to 22nd place, two points above the relegation places.
On the challenge of arresting that shocking run of form, Harrogate’s manager said: “This is our biggest test since we came up to this level.
“We have got nine players in the treatment room, so we have just got to dig deep and not feel sorry for ourselves and then sulk and really unravel.”
Cole Stockton broke the deadlock just ahead of half-time and Matty Lund drilled home a second after the interval to secure the points for the in-form Ammies.
Stockton threatened first he fired wide from outside the box early on before team-mate Stephan Negru was his header from a corner came back off the crossbar.
Jon Taylor fizzed a strike past the post as Salford continued to push before Toby Sims’ error presented Kylian Kouassi with a clear run on the home goal, but the City substitute – an early replacement for Ben Woodburn – missed the target with just James Belshaw to beat.
The breakthrough Salford had been pushing for eventually arrived in the 39th minute. Haji Mnoga nodded the ball into the path of Stockton and he finished emphatically from close range after Anthony O’Connor made a mess of clearing Taylor’s cross from the left.
Salford doubled their lead 10 minutes into the second period when Lund fired a fine, first-time shot into the bottom corner from 22 yards out after Stockton had expertly chested down a long punt forwards.
Tyrese Fornah twice forced Belshaw to tip efforts over his bar during the latter stages.
Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Sims, O'Connor, Burrell, Asare, Cornelius (Sutton 72), Dooley, J Daly, Duke-Mckenna, M Daly (Folarin 79), March (Muldoon 64). Unused substitutes: Oxley, Etherington, Robinson, Barnes.
Salford City: Young, Edwards (Tilt 67), Negru, Garbutt, Mnoga, Lund, Ashley (Watson 82), Fornah, Taylor (Adelakun 67), Woodburn (Kouassi 6), Stockton (Berkoe 83). Unused substitutes: Jones, Luamba.
Referee: S Oldham (Lancashire).