Harrogate Railway were a 'little bit naive' during FA Vase defeat to 'fabulous' Nelson FC

The Starbeck outfit exited the competition at the first-round stage following a 3-0 defeat over in Lancashire.

Railway, who are flying high in Division One of the North East Counties League, conceded three times inside the opening 35 minutes against their North West Counties League hosts.

And boss Youhill did not think that his side did themselves justice on the day.

"The first half was a tough gig," he said. "We had a really good chance before they scored their first, and if that goes in, the game may well change.

"They had four or five entries into our final third and scored three times, so we need to be better.

"They are a fabulous team. What a pleasure to watch they were, and a pleasure to compete against on a lovely pitch.

"But I just think that we were a little bit naive to the quality that they had. All three goals were completely avoidable, and not just at source. They were avoidable three or four stages before that.

"They are a good team, and on a pitch like this, they will ask questions, and they did. So fair play to them, but we are a better footballing side than we showed in the first half."

Nelson's Jack Doherty broke the deadlock in the ninth minute of Saturday's contest, before goals from Ryan Bolton and Luke Hepple put the home team in full control.

Railway did raise their game after the interval, and although they were unable to reduce the deficit, Youhill was still able to take some positives from the improvement in their performance.

"I enjoyed the second half and how we competed and how bright we were on the ball," he added.

"We are about playing on the front foot and playing attacking football, so I could enjoy the second half."

Youhill has been clear that Railway are prioritising their promotion push over cup competitions this season, and they continued their fine start to 2025/26 with a 1-0 home win over Brigg Town last Tuesday evening.

Elliot Holmes netted the only goal of the game in the 28th minute, with that result leaving his side third in the table, where they sit seven points behind leaders Dearne & District, but with three games in hand.