'Breath of fresh air' Tom Cursons can go on and 'blossom' with Harrogate Town in 2025/26, says Simon Weaver

The 23-year-old, who joined the League Two Sulphurites in January following a red-hot spell with seventh-tier Ilkeston, showed real signs of promise during his first five months as a professional footballer.

He made 16 appearances for Town (six starts) and scored two important goals - his team's second in a crucial 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers Tranmere, then the strike which clinched the 3-1 success against Fleetwood which mathematically guaranteed that the club could not be relegated.

In addition to those goal contributions, while there have been some performances during which Cursons looked off the pace as he transitioned from part-time to full-time player, there has been plenty of evidence to suggest that Harrogate have a real prospect on their hands.

Thus Weaver has only really had positive things to say about the ex-Met Police hitman, both in terms of what he has done so far, and what else he can bring to the party moving forwards.

"I think TC has been great,” Weaver said. “He has been like a breath of fresh air.

"He has an open attitude, willingness to learn and has been honest about how he has been feeling every step of the way. And it is a real delight when you have got a young lad coming into the building and just lapping it all up.

"He has been growing and we have seen him score a couple of times already. His performance against Tranmere was memorable for everyone, not least him, and scoring the goal against Fleetwood to secure our Football League status was a big high for us all.

“He has really come to the fore. A lot has happened for him in a short space of time and I am looking forward to seeing him get a full pre-season with a full-time club under his belt and then really blossoming.

”We think that he deserves a really good go at it in pre-season and next season and I am sure that his talent will come out in abundance and he will become an exciting player for us.”

Cursons, who is currently studying MSc Clinical Nutrition at the University of Nottingham, is the only recognised striker on Town’s books heading into 2025/26 after Josh March turned down a new deal to join League Two rivals Crewe Alexandra. Fellow forward Jack Muldoon has also been offered terms, but is yet to commit his future to the club.

He made a name for himself during the first half of last season, netting 25 goals in 30 appearances for non-league Ilkeston, including a nine-minute hat-trick.

His fine form in front of goal in 2024/25 follows on from a superb end to the previous campaign, where he bagged 12 times in just 10 matches.

Those exploits attracted interest from a number of League One and Two sides, with Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, Peterborough United, Barnsley and Chesterfield all reportedly keen on Cursons.

Doncaster Rovers boss Grant McCann also admitted that he was keen on the player, but it was Weaver who managed to tempt the prolific former Barwell forward into putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at Wetherby Road, paying an undisclosed fee for his services.