Harrogate Town 3 Fleetwood Town 1: Sulphurites 'fully deserved' status-clinching victory

Second-half strikes from Jasper Moon, Ellis Taylor and substitute Tom Cursons saw the Sulphurites come from behind to secure the three-point haul which preserves their Football League status.

Town headed into Easter Monday’s fixture knowing that they simply had to better the result of 23rd-placed Carlisle United to guarantee their safety, and despite a 51st-minute hiccup, they eventually ran out convincing winners at Wetherby Road.

"I’m ecstatic with the performance, I thought that we fully deserved the three points and the score-line as well,” Weaver said. “The icing on the cake was the third goal, but I felt that we deserved it.

"I felt that we were the better team and that we dominated the game, but it was quite an eerie atmosphere in the first half. It was silent, I don’t know if that was apprehension in the crowd.

"I thought that Fleetwood looked pretty flat today, they were inviting us on. We upped the ante and then they did and they had a little spell where they were bopping it around in the middle of the park.

"So, we needed to up it in the attacking third in the second half, but we did that, and ended up with three goals, which was great.”

Town could have been forgiven for feeling sorry for themselves when Kobei Moore fired Fleetwood into the lead against the run of play early in the second period.

But, in actual fact, that goal seemed to inspire them into upping their game, with Weaver going on to praise his players’ mentality.

“The lads have shown big character again’” he added. “We go a goal down to Fleetwood’s first shot, but we reacted positively.

"A number of times now, we have gone a goal behind and bounced back. And that sums up the last few months.

"We are a dogged outfit now.”

Town midfielder Bryn Morris saw an early strike easily held by visiting gloveman Jay Lynch, before Josh March finished clinically inside the Fleetwood box, though the referee had already blown up to penalise a nudge in Rhys Bennett’s back.

Stephen Dooley then drive infield off the right and teed up Taylor, whose goal-bound blast hit team-mate Anthony O’Connor and broke for Dooley to test the scrambling Lynch with a low shot.

Although the visitors offered almost nothing as an attacking force, they did a decent job of frustrating the Sulphurites, who had to wait until the 37th minute to threaten again when Taylor whipped a curling free-kick just wide of the mark from almost 30 yards out.

A spell of pressure just before the interval saw Town continue to ask questions of the Fleetwood back-line, and they appeared destined to take the lead on 43 minutes.

Moon teed up March in a glorious position, but although his left-footed effort beat Lynch, Fin Potter was perfectly placed to divert the ball over his own cross-bar.

Fleetwood began the second period with a bit more intent and were rewarded with the opening goal from what was the first chance they managed to create.

Mackenzie Hunt delivered a low, left-wing corner to the near post and with the hosts sleeping, the unmarked Moore was able to beat James Belshaw with a first-time finish.

Town were not behind for long, however, Moon levelling matters in the 56th minute when he stabbed home from three yards out after Lynch made a mess of dealing with Taylor’s well-struck free-kick.

Five minutes later, Town edged in front following a counter-attack down their left flank. March drove deep into Fleetwood territory and slipped a nicely-weighted ball in behind for Taylor to force an effort underneath Lynch from a tight angle.

Harrogate looked the more likely to add to their tally in the period of the game which followed, and they almost did when Muldoon was denied by Lynch in a one-on-one situation, with March then firing just wide from having got hold of the rebound.

The Sulphurites began to tire as the final 10 minutes approached and Fleetwood were able to enjoy more possession, but without ever really managing to open their hosts up.

The final stages of the regulation 90 safely negotiated, Town should have made the game safe in the third minute of stoppage time, but Muldoon again failed to beat Lynch having been played clean through on goal.

And that miss almost proved extremely costly as the Cods went straight down the other end and very nearly equalised through Louie Marsh, then Ryan Broom, who both drew crucial stops from Belshaw.

Phoenix Paterson then curled a dangerous effort wide of the target as Fleetwood continued to turn the screw, however with time almost up Weaver’s men broke again from inside their own half and, on this occasion, they were ruthless.

Taylor scampered clear down the left and slid a low cross towards the far post where substitute Cursons calmly side-footed into the bottom corner from seven yards out.

Saturday’s result lifts Town one place in the table to 19th ahead of this Saturday’s home showdown with Notts County.