Harrogate Town 4 Hartlepool United 1: How Simon Weaver inspired players with half-time team talk

The opening 45 minutes of Boxing Day's National League clash at the CNG Stadium saw the hosts struggle to break down their visitors, however they ran riot after the interval and went on to hit the back of the net four times.

With fellow high-flyers Woking already beaten in an early kick-off, and Bromley, Solihull Moors and FC Halifax Town all trailing, Weaver decided to use the possibility of climbing as high as fourth in the table as motivation.

"Sometimes we've been guilty of giving the players a bit of praise at half-time and we've started a bit flat, a bit too happy with ourselves and then suddenly you're on the back foot," he said.

"The league table was looking good at half-time with results elsewhere. This division is bonkers, so it's whether you're scared of being in a good position and go in your shells, or, we go for it and try to take advantage of the situation.

"I said 'let's go for it and get on the front foot' and I thought that we did just that.

"We had to go and make it happen in the final third. We stayed patient and we found those spaces to play in.

"I saw a good edge to our game, I thought we asserted ourselves pretty well and it's good to score four goals."

Strikes by Jack Muldoon (2), Lloyd Kerry and Josh Falkingham secured what was in the end a convincing win for Town. leaving Weaver to reflect upon a more ruthless showing in the final third.

"I was really pleased that once we got the first, we pushed for more, I don't want the team to just sit back," he added.

"I think we've got goals in us and I think that it's about confidence, but we've got to make things happen in the opposition half.

"We're looking for class acts to get us into that top-three and people stood up today and were counted."