Why Simon Weaver blames himself for the end of Harrogate Town's unbeaten start to Leeague Two season
SIMON WEAVER blamed himself for the end of Harrogate Town’s unbeaten start to the League Two campaign, as they went down 2-1 at home to Chesterfield.
The Spireites, who had never won in six previous contests against their North Yorkshire hosts, took a sixth-minute lead through on-loan Wigan attacker Ronan Darcy’s brilliant individual goal.
But home goalkeeper James Belshaw made a brilliant save to deny Dylan Duffy moments later and wasteful misses by Armando Dobra and Lee Bonis were then punished by Stephen Duke-McKenna’s 50th-minute equaliser – the ex-QPR winger’s third goal of the season.
Harrogate applied pressure but it was Chesterfield skipper Chey Dunkley who powered in an 81st-minute header to seal victory.
But Weaver was left cursing the timing of his decision to introduce Bobby Faulkner from the bench in place of fellow centre-back Tom Bradbury as Liam Mandeville lined up to take a corner for the visitors.
Faulkner then lost Dunkley following Mandeville’s delivery, with Weaver conceding: “I’ll beat myself up about making a change just before a corner.
"We were big in that six-yard box as a result of the substitution that I made, but I have to take full responsibility for the timing of the change because we conceded from it.
“I thought we were in the ascendancy in the second half. Dukey came up with another great finish after a brilliant through ball from Shawn (McCoulsky), but unfortunately it wasn’t enough.
"I think our front four are electric, though, and we’ve got to feed them more, because they are individuals who are capable of special moments and some of the football we can play is great on the eye.”
Harrogate Town: Belshaw, Cass, O'Connor, Bradbury (Faulkner 81), Burrell (Asare 87), Morris, Evans, Taylor (McAleny 77), Smith, Duke-Mckenna, McCoulsky. Unused substitutes: Oxley, Muldoon, Hill, Fox.
Chesterfield: Hemming, Daley-Campbell, Dunkley, McFadzean, Gordon, Dibley-Dias (Fleck 63), Stirk (Naylor 83), Darcy (Mandeville 74), Duffy (Markanday 63), Dobra, Bonis (Grigg 75). Unused substitutes: Boot, Lewis.
Referee: Steven Copeland (Merseyside).