No nasty lower-division ghosts of FA Cup past for Leeds United while bigger battles lie ahead for proud Harrogate Town - final word

LEEDS United’s maiden competitive meeting with their near-neighbours just up the A61 won’t be remembered for scintillating moments of brilliance or beguiling football, let alone a cup shock.

A touch of controversy? Perhaps. But in terms of posterity, it should chiefly be recalled for being the occasion when residents of Harrogate and followers of their local club - all 3,951 of them - showed what Harrogate Town meant to them and underlined why they will be needed in the future.

A decade earlier, Harrogate’ opponents on the same weekend were Brackley in Conference North. It’s been some journey to Elland Road since and for those with club affiliations, this sense of occasion on third-round weekend constituted a small reward for missing out on seeing the Sulphurites being promoted to the Football League for the first time on a momentous summer day in 2020.

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Harrogate triumphed against Notts County at Wembley in the National League play-off final - a marquee match played behind closed doors to comply with Covid-19 restrictions. Sheffield’s James Bell was the referee that day, as he was on Saturday. Harrogate did not get the result they wanted this time, but the story was all about being here and taking part.

Leeds United match-winner Largie Ramazani (centre left) and Harrogate Town's Levi Sutton (left) battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at Elland Road. Photo: Barrington Coombs/PA Wire.Leeds United match-winner Largie Ramazani (centre left) and Harrogate Town's Levi Sutton (left) battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at Elland Road. Photo: Barrington Coombs/PA Wire.
Leeds United match-winner Largie Ramazani (centre left) and Harrogate Town's Levi Sutton (left) battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at Elland Road. Photo: Barrington Coombs/PA Wire.

Comfortably the club’s biggest ever away following witnessed Town in action in the last 64 for just the second time in their history. The first was a forgettable Sunday in Luton in early 2022.

Harrogate lost in Leeds, but there was honour in this narrow defeat. More importantly, they have much bigger pitch battles ahead as Simon Weaver rightly said afterwards and need all the help from the stands they can muster. Marching on together.

His side are 21st in League Two and nights like Saturday convey the importance of Harrogate remaining a league club and staying on the map. This was another significant moment - and potential building block - in their history, regardless of the result.

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The story was a Harrogate one, but mercifully not in a Histon/Crawley/Sutton/Rochdale type of way for Leeds, whose list of cup exits in the past decade or a half - usually at this stage - reads like a damning chargesheet.

In fairness, all of those aforesaid embarrassments have been on the road. The cup is still the cup and does funny things regardless of venue and it hadn’t been particularly nice in recent times. Those with a Leeds leaning were entitled to be a bit wary beforehand. Their side weren’t great here, but did enough.

Leeds went strong in their selection - stronger than Weaver envisaged - and got important minutes into the legs of a number of players in their big squad.

Chief among them were Josuha Guilavogui and Isaac Schmidt, who made their first starts. Ilia Greuv featured late on from the bench in his comeback game from injury and a round-four tie should fit in nicely for him. Squad-wise, a cup run would have clear uses for Leeds.

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One of just three players who lined up in the previous league game in Manor Solomon proved the difference maker.

He carried on from a vibrant end to the first half by turning up the heat after. He got away from Dean Cornelius and his floated cross was nodded in by the unmarked Largie Ramazani to break Harrogate’s resistance just ahead of the hour. Their defensive mask slipped for the first time and it was fateful.

Harrogate’s shape without the ball was exemplary in the first half. They did an attentive job of blocking Leeds’ passing lanes and smothered space and the game plan was well executed.

Attacking forays were limited. Yet Town could - and perhaps should - have been afforded a 12th-minute penalty when Guilavogui, unconvincing at centre-back, put an arm across the back of Josh March in panicking fashion. Bell was unmoved.

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Clearances and last-ditch blocks, from Anthony O’Connor and Jasper Moon in particular, repelled Leeds at the other end, although the post came to the rescue late on following Mateo Joseph’s drive.

The second half was more open. Emboldened by the scoreline, Harrogate got a bit braver going forward, while Leeds's flair players started to get more grass to run into as understandable signs of tiredness started to creep in among Harrogate's wide-sided players.

Solomon shaved the bar with a curler before March tested Karl Darlow for the first time after Ethan Ampadu's error.

Ramazani settled things down for Leeds. Aside from a few flutters in the final quarter from Harrogate set-pieces, the home backline saw things out in the way they wished. There was no late disorder like at Hull. Pride for Harrogate, progression for Leeds.

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Leeds United: Meslier; Byram (Firpo 77), Guilavogui, Struijk (Rodon 65), Schmidt; Ampadu, Rothwell (Tanaka 65); Gnonto (Greuv 89), Ramazani, M Solomon (James 78); Joseph. Substitutes unused: Meslier, Bogle, Aaronson, Wober.

Harrogate Town: Belshaw; Sims (Asare 83), O’Connor, Moon, Burrell; Cornelius (Taylor 72), Sutton (Dooley 77); Morris, J Daly (Duke-McKenna 83); Muldoon (Folarin 71), March. Substitutes unused: Oxley, M Daly, E Solomon, Bray.

Referee: J Bell (Sheffield).

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