Cheltenham Town 1 Harrogate Town 0: Simon Weaver able to find positives despite painful defeat

The Sulphurites suffered their third loss in five League Two outings and once again failed to score as they went down 1-0 at Whaddon Road on Saturday afternoon.

Town had the better of the first half and continued to threaten after the break even when their hosts upped their game, but having been unable to break through, they conceded from a set-piece in the 92nd minute.

That result drops Harrogate down to 20th in the table, though Weaver insisted that he was encouraged by the improvement he witnessed.

"The outcome is good for them and disappointing for us, but in terms of building something for this season, I thought today was so much better in so many aspects,” he said.

“We have to work towards a collective effort where we can produce that kind of first 45 minutes over the whole game and also defend better in those certain situations, because I don't think they had any answer to the way we were playing first half. We were disappointed that we didn't go in one up.

"If we’d looked after the ball a little bit better in the second half, I think we would have won the game. I think the players are right to be adamant that if we keep showing good signs, keep passing the ball as we did, then it will come good.

"I certainly think we've taken a step in the right direction in terms of the style there. If you just rip it up every time you lose a game because the outcome is wrong, you never really have that sense of working towards something that you believe in.

"Today, I believed in the way we played and, with a bit more sharpness, a bit more fitness from the two or three, I don't see any reason why we can't have a good run.”

Town threatened to break the deadlock on a number of occasions in the first half, notably through James Daly, who was denied at point-blank range by Owen Evans, and Ellis Taylor, who saw a shot blocked inside the six-yard box.

After the break, Taylor saw a curling, 25-yard-free-kick thud against the cross-bar with Evans beaten, before Daly embarked on a sine solo run and ran past four opponents, only to be denied one-on-one by the Robins’ goalkeeper.

And Harrogate were made to rue those missed opportunities when Luke Young delivered a stoppage-time free-kick from the right flank which Tom Bradbury met at the far post, powering a downward header back across James Belshaw and into the bottom corner.

"The players were really positive at half-time,” Weaver added. “They came in and said ‘come on, we’re dominating. It was a really positive place to be at half-time, but if you don't stick the chances away, that's what happens.

"You've got to take advantage because confidence gets undermined when you have all the possession as well. If you don't, you allow them back into the game.

"The home support, which is really good to say that they've just been relegated and battered from pillar post in League One and not started great, they really got behind their team and they realised they were still in the game.

"They're just putting entries into the box from deep - and that's League Two. To be fair, it’s a good quality free-kick into the box and they attack it well.”