Harrogate Railway pass 'good test' at Crowle Colts FC as they prepare for NCEL Division One play-offs
Rob Youhill was thrilled to see his Harrogate Railway players pass a “good test” at Crowle Colts on Saturday afternoon.
With a strong wind at their backs, the Starbeck outfit scored twice in the first half through Jimmy Eyles and Alex Burton to put themselves in control of proceedings.
Playing against the elements after the break, the Rail saw far less of the ball and had to work extremely hard to see the game out with their clean-sheet intact.
But Youhill believes that standing up to such a tough examination will stand his team in good stead ahead of the upcoming NCEL Division One play-offs.
“You could say that Saturday was a game of two halves,” Railway’s manager said. “The first half we dominated in terms of possession in good areas and balls into the box – and the wind did play a big part in that.
"It was the same for both teams, although I do feel that the wind must have picked up in the second half, and we just dug in deep.
"And, based on what we are trying to do in terms of getting ready for the play-offs, it was a really good test.
“And we’ve come out with another clean-sheet, which is fantastic, especially the way that second half went.
"I’m pleased with what I saw. We seemed focused on what we needed to do.”
Youhill and joint-boss Fraser Lancaster opted to make a few changes to their starting line-up at Crowle, and experimented with a couple of different things over the course of the 90 minutes.
And the duo intend to continue in the same vein during Railway’s two remaining regular-season fixtures in a bid to give all of their first-team players an opportunity to stake their claim for a starting berth in the play-off semi-final.
“We are going to give ourselves massive headaches in two weeks time in terms of team selection, because we are going to give everyone a chance,” Youhill explained.
"I don’t think there is anywhere on the pitch where we are putting round pegs in square holes. We know what the system is, and are really clear about what is expected, but there are still places up for grabs.
"We’ve got to keep on doing that [giving opportunities], and although there will be hard decisions to make in two weeks time, hopefully it will prove to be the right way to do it.
"We are making a rod for our own back, but it’s the best way to do it, and we wouldn’t do it any other way.”
Next up for fourth-placed Railway is a home showdown with already-relegated Nostell Miners Welfare on Tuesday evening (7.45pm), before they make the short trip to mid-table Selby Town this Saturday (3pm).