Anthony O'Connor says Harrogate Town have made him a 'better' player after committing his future to the club

The 32-year-old centre-half has handed the League Two Sulphurites a major boost by agreeing to put pen to paper on a new two-year contract at Wetherby Road.

O’Connor was one of six players whose deals were due to expire this summer to be offered fresh terms by Simon Weaver, and the Irishman has followed goalkeeper Mark Oxley, fellow defender Warren Burrell and midfielder Levi Sutton in opting to stay put.

And, given his importance to the team, keeping hold of the ex-Blackburn Rovers man could very well be the best bit of business Town do during the close season.

O’Connor has been virtually ever-present since joining Harrogate from Morecambe in January 2023. He has also been incredibly consistent and without doubt one of the team’s standout performers in the vast majority of the 118 matches in which he has appeared.

And the player himself puts the level of performance that he has been able to deliver week in, week out down to the fact that he is enjoying his work in North Yorkshire.

“I’m glad to have committed my future here, it’s always somewhere I’ve seen myself staying,” O’Connor said.

“I think I’m getting better as I’m getting older, I put that down to the environment I’m playing in and that I’m enjoying my football and working with good people.

“It’s a great place to play football, I can’t speak highly enough of the place. There’s great people behind the scenes and we’ve got a good side building now.”

Lloyd Kerry, Town’s head of player recruitment said that both he and boss Weaver are “delighted” that O’Connor is sticking around.

"He’s been a key player for us over the last two seasons,” Kerry said. “He’s been solid as a rock, he’s dominant and a fan favourite, so we’re delighted to have him tied down for another two years.

“Ant and Jasper [Moon] built up a good relationship last season so it was important to extend his contract and now we’ll look to get a new partner in for him.”

The ultra-durable O’Connor played 45 of Town’s 46 League Two games last season, 43 out of 46 in 2023/24 and 20 of a possible 22 during the second half of 2022/23 – having signed for the club during the winter transfer window.