Northern Irish midfielder signs new deal with League Two club Harrogate Town

HARROGATE Town midfielder Stephen Dooley has signed a new one-year deal with the League Two club.

The Northern Irishman, 32, who joined from Rochdale in 2022, made 25 appearances in the 2023-24 campaign.

His decision to commit for next season follows on from forward Sam Folarin signing a new one-year contract.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Dooley said: "I am really pleased to sign here for another year. I was heavily involved last season and I enjoyed the style of football we were playing.

Harrogate Town schemer Stephen Dooley (right) and Bradford City midfielder Kevin McDonald (left) take a tumble on League Two derby day in March. Picture: Tony Johnson.Harrogate Town schemer Stephen Dooley (right) and Bradford City midfielder Kevin McDonald (left) take a tumble on League Two derby day in March. Picture: Tony Johnson.
Harrogate Town schemer Stephen Dooley (right) and Bradford City midfielder Kevin McDonald (left) take a tumble on League Two derby day in March. Picture: Tony Johnson.

"You can take a run of games like that for granted sometimes, but after the spell I had out, it was great to get back out there with the lads.

"We played some great stuff last season and moving into the new campaign we want to build on that.

"I missed all of pre-season last year but I want to hit the ground running this year. I am feeling good just now and hopefully when we come back I can use that to start the season strongly."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Town manager Simon Weaver added: "We are delighted to have Stephen signed up for another year. Speaking to him, you could see how keen he was to stay with the club.

"I was delighted with that because he was an important player for us over the course of last season. Off the pitch, he has shown that he is a great character to have around the group.

"He was enjoying the style of play we had adopted, he felt like it was getting a lot out of him. He is keen to push on and improve again with a full pre-season behind him."

Last week, Town announced that nine players would be leaving the club at the expiry of deals shortly.

Lewis Thomas, Jonathan Mitchell, Joe Mattock, Will Smith, Pete Jameson, George Horbury, Finn O’Boyle, Brad Williams and Emmanuel Ilesanmi will all depart.

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

News you can trust since 1754
Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice