Harrogate Town 2 Hartlepool United 1: 'Digging in and fighting for the cause' was key to ending winless run

First-half goals from Alex Pattison and Jack Muldoon earned the Sulphurites a 2-1 success over their fellow strugglers and a first triumph on home soil since the opening day of the season.

Reflecting on the contest, Weaver said that his side were good value for all three points and reasoned that “finding a way to win” was what really mattered following a run of form that had seen them lose seven of their previous eight League Two matches.

“Overall, I thought it was a very deserved victory,” the Town boss said.

"We did enough [to close the game out] and that’s all I care about today because you’ve got to have a starting point. Off the back of the run we have been on, life doesn’t go as smoothly, so it’s just about digging in sometimes and stripping it right back to basics and fighting for the cause.

"This was a game where everybody was under pressure to get a result and we found a way to win. The first-half performance was excellent in quite trying conditions in the wind, but when we got the ball down and played, we passed and probed our way to opportunities to score.

"We didn’t take all the chances that came our way, but the two opportunities we scored, we put away well and we were delighted to go in at half-time with that two-goal cushion. It feels like the weight is off your shoulders when you get that second goal.

"The second half was about finding a way to win. It was never going to be straightforward was it. They threw everything at us but I thought that, by and large, the defence stood up.”

Saturday’s success was Town’s third in 13 League Two matches this season and their first since a 2-0 away win at Gillingham two months ago.

It lifts them two places to 20th in the table, where they now sit two points clear of the relegation zone.