Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver on why he opted to give players extra time off

With no midweek game, Sulphurites boss Simon Weaver has taken the opportunity to give his players the chance to re-charge their batteries.

In addition to granting them their usual days off on Sunday and Wednesday, the Town manager also ordered his squad to put their feet up on Monday.

"Saturday is a big game for us and we put the lads through a tough session on Tuesday. We're in Thursday and Friday as well, but I was glad to be able to give them a bit of a rest this week," Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"Some of them looked out on their feet at Forest Green in our last game. The fixture pile-up over the last month or so has just started to take its toll.

"We've been playing with good energy recently, but it was time to give the lads some extra time off.

"It's important to realise that just not having to make the journey into training can make a big difference, particularly to those who have the longer distances to travel.

"We'll still get through some important work on the training pitch this week, however I feel it's been important to try and give everyone chance to re-fill the tanks."

Weaver's willingness to allow his troops an extra day off this week stems from the positive response he has seen in the past when he's let them have a rest.

"Some players will say that they don't want days off, they want to be at it all the time, but we usually see noticeable benefits," he added.

"They get worked really hard when they're in, however when they come back after a bit of a rest, you can see the juices are flowing.

"They tend to come back flying and, as a management team, we've never been kicked in the teeth after giving the lads an extra day off or a bit of a break.

"This is an honest group. They've always responded well in the past and I'm hoping that we'll be nice and fresh ahead of what is a difficult game against Morecambe this weekend."