Harrogate Town 3 Bury 1: 'Fabulous' Ellis Taylor settles FA Cup replay

Wing-back nets late double as Harrogate Town avoid an upset to progress into FA Cup first round

Simon Weaver said that Ellis Taylor “deserved” to “grab the headlines” after netting two late goals to secure Harrogate Town’s place in the first round of the FA Cup.

Ellis Taylor celebrates after firing Harrogate Town into a 2-1 lead against Bury FC. Picture: Matt Kirkham | Harrogate Town AFC

placeholder image — Ellis Taylor celebrates after firing Harrogate Town into a 2-1 lead against Bury FC. Picture: Matt Kirkham | Harrogate Town AFC

The former Sunderland man struck in the 88th and 94th minute as the National League Sulphurites eventually found a way to overcome seventh-tier Bury, who pushed them all the way over the course of both Tuesday’s fourth-qualifying-round replay and Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Gigg Lane.

Brad Dolaghan’s neat 11th-minute finish had put Town in front at Wetherby Road, and although they created plenty of opportunities to add to their tally, they were unable to do so, with Taylor among those home players who couldn’t quite find a finish when required.

Bury had chances of their own, with James Melhado twice denied by Luke Hutchinson, and having kept themselves in the contest, they were rewarded for another bright display when Momodou Touray’s deflected strike made it 1-1 on 68 minutes.

And the Shakers could very well have taken the lead just three minutes later when Kai Evans was played in on goal, but failed to get the better of Hutchinson.

With time almost up, Taylor came close to finding the net for a fifth time on the night, before he eventually did breakthrough with a curling left-footed effort.

Then, with Bury having thrown caution to the wind as they sought a second equaliser, Town’s right wing-back was able to make the game safe on the counter-attack.

Naturally, boss Weaver was thrilled to see the 23-year-old get his just desserts in the end.

“Ellis was part of a conversation that I had with Paul Thirlwell because he has just come back from injury and we didn’t want to overuse him,” the Harrogate chief told BBC Radio York.

“But, at the same time, I thought that by the law of averages, with the amount of shots he was having, one would creep in. And it didn’t just creep in, he smacked it home.

“It was fabulous that he got that brace because it just shows you that if you’re strong enough mentally to keep going with your strikes even when you don’t think it is quite going to be your night, you can still grab the headlines. And Ellis Taylor deserved to do that.

“I thought that he added to our attacking play down the right, without a doubt. We’ve gone with a lot of attacking players on the pitch, and we have won the cup tie, so I have no regrets about showing attacking intent.”

Tuesday night’s replay victory earned Town £9,375 in prize money and sets up a home showdown with National League rivals AFC Fylde in the first round proper on November 7.