Bryn Morris makes 'big difference' in midfield on his Harrogate Town debut

The 28-year-old central midfielder, who joined the club from Newport County for an undisclosed fee earlier in the week, impressed for the Sulphurites during Saturday’s 2-0 victory at Barrow.

Morris was drafted in to add some presence in the centre of the park, an area which Weaver felt his side had looked lightweight during a run of seven games without a win.

And it would seem fair to say that the former England youth international ticked all the boxes, as far as his new gaffer was concerned.

“I thought that Bryn made a big difference in central midfield,” Weaver said.

"I wanted him to come in and be a general, and I thought that he was. He showed examples of why he has played League One, and League Two consistently well over his career.

"He blends experience and know-how with grit, and also that guile at times to be able to thread through-balls and just take the pressure out of it.

“I think Levi [Sutton] was probably picked up by having a partner on Saturday who was prepared to do the hard stuff and the ugly stuff as well.

“I felt like we won the individual battles on Saturday that we didn’t win against Salford, when we were miles off it.”

Such was his faith in Morris, Weaver felt confident enough to set his side up in a 4-4-2 formation at Barrow, with the benefit of having an extra centre-forward on the field very much evident in the score-line.

The Town boss has felt it necessary to play an extra man in midfield of late in order that the Sulphurites remained competitive, but Morris and Sutton more than held their own as a pair.

"We were able to play two strikers and go 4-4-2, which got us to the Football League in the first place, because we had a general in Bryn to be able to take the field who can tackle and pass at the same time,” Weaver added.

Saturday’s success at Barrow was Town’s first in eight matches but saw them climb one place to 21st in the League Two standings, where they now sit five points clear of the relegation zone, albeit having played a game more than both of the bottom two.