Harrogate Town defender Tom Lees ‘devastated’ after suffering fresh injury blow
Harrogate Town defender Tom Lees has been left “devastated” after suffering a fresh injury setback during his first full training session.
The Sulphurites knew that the vastly experienced centre-half was carrying a calf niggle when they signed him as a free agent in late July, but that issue has proven more problematic than was initially anticipated.
However, after almost two months on the sidelines, Lees was able to join in training with his team-mates at the back end of last week, and was expected to be in contention to play his first minutes for his new club in early October.
A hamstring pull sustained during that session has however left the former Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday man facing the possibility of another significant period on the treatment table.
“Tom suffered a blow just the other day,” Town boss Simon Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.
“It’s his hamstring, and he is devastated to be honest.
“He has been working hard to come back from his calf injury and his studs just got caught in the grass and that has upset his hamstring now.
“He had been doing passing drills, but this was his first full session back with the lads. He did a bit of defending at full tilt and unfortunately it has set him back.
“We will find out the severity in the next couple of days.”
Lees, 35, has proven to be a robust operator during his long professional career and even since turning 30 he has never played less than 32 games over the course of a season.
Last term, he turned out 35 times for League One Peterborough, but then picked up a calf niggle in the summer having joined Rotherham United on trial.
That muscular issue meant that Lees was unable to play or train with the Millers, but did not deter Town when the opportunity to pull off something of a transfer coup came their way at the end of July.
The ex-England Under-21 international was only expected to miss the first few games of 2026/27, however he is still yet to kick a ball in anger for a Sulphurites side who have conceded too many goals so far this season and could really use his experience and know-how at the heart of their back line.
Lees joins goalkeeper Rory Watson, midfielders Bryn Morris and Brayden Johnson and striker Shawn McCoulsky on Town’s injury list ahead of Tuesday’s National League trip to Hartlepool United (7.45pm).