Key Harrogate Town defender and ex-Bradford City man's promotion dream and praise for 'relentless' boss

The areas connecting Harrogate, Leeds and York have plenty going for them. It’s a nice place to play football and then come home to a young family and Harrogate is certainly a nice football club.

Defensive lynchpin Anthony O’Connor gets all that. Now in his early 30s, the Sulphurites’ most consistent player over the last few seasons will be sticking around for a few more, until the end of 2026-27 at least.

With the ink still drying on his new deal, the ultra-consistent Cork-born centre-half, 32, who spent a spell at Bradford City earlier in his career, has plenty to be happy about. Settled in his work and home life.

For O’Connor, there is a sizable caveat. In its own way, it explains why he did not sign the contract which Harrogate put in front of him straightaway.

The Irishman, who picked up two player-of-season awards last term and missed just one league game, told The Yorkshire Post: "I am here to achieve success and not just see out my days as a footballer.

"If that was the case, I would have signed my contract weeks ago.

"I wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction with the recruitment and us signing the right players to drive us forward. I wanted to make sure the club was going to drive on.

"It is not going to be easy, we have got clubs in the division who have double the budget we probably have.

"But you always get a team every season that just comes through and you don't expect them to and we want that to be us next season. It’s not always about money, it’s togetherness and fight and it’s something we have got in abundance."

O’Connor, whose representatives fielded interest from other league clubs prior to his decision to commit his future to Harrogate, is the first to acknowledge the influence of manager Simon Weaver in his decision to stay put.

Comfortably the EFL’s longest serving manager, the 47-year-old is busily planning a sixth successive season in the Football League with the Sulphurites.

His association with the club is considerably longer. Last month, he celebrated his 16th anniversary in charge at Wetherby Road, having been at the heart of the club’s historic journey from National League North to League Two.

Listen to Weaver and you will soon be left under no illusions of his belief that the Harrogate story has unwritten chapters to pen. They are not just happy to be here.

In years gone by, the likes of Morecambe, Fleetwood, Burton, Crawley and Wycombe - who have all spent the vast majority of their existence in the non-leagues - have sampled life in the third tier and in some cases beyond.

It serves as evidence of just what is possible for Harrogate, if things click into place and is not a pipe dream.

O’Connor’s discussions with Weaver have focused on just that; the next chapter. A look into the whites of his manager’s eyes helped convince him that it is an achievable target, allied to the trust which the pair have forged. He is a big fan of Weaver ‘relentless’ character, as he calls it.

Last term, Weaver’s Harrogate showed sporadic evidence of just what they are capable of.

They beat promoted Yorkshire rivals Bradford and Doncaster Rovers, alongside another side who reached the play-offs in Chesterfield. From New Year’s Day until season’s end in May, they lost just once in 11 games at home.

Town also beat Wrexham, who were promoted to the Championship come season’s end in the FA Cup and recorded their biggest ever home attendances since the 1950s - further milestones during the Weaver era.

O’Connor continued: "There was quite a bit of interest, but I am 32 now and having this deal means I know I am somewhere where I am wanted.

"He (Weaver) is a good man, first and foremost.

"He is a really down to earth man and working-class man who works really hard and wants to be successful and never cuts corners.

"Every day, he is on it and it’s ‘how can we get better and what can we do to be better’. It’s relentless and he is relentless in wanting this club to be successful.

"He has already tasted success with this club, but he wants more.

"He wants to get another promotion and this club to League One, which would be an unbelievable achievement for our club.

"I know we might not be the biggest club financially or fanbase wise, but what we certainly have is a desire and fight to really do well.

"I think you see that most weeks in how we play and we give everything. We are not going to compete with the clubs who are financially away and beyond us, but we can certainly compete with them on the pitch 100 per cent.”