Harrogate Town: Giving 100 per cent every game is not enough on its own - Simon Weaver

The Sulphurites, beaten 3-1 by Scunthorpe United at the weekend, host Mansfield Town on Tuesday night and their manager will be demanding that they deliver more than just industry and energy as they seek an immediate bounce-back.

The Wetherby Road outfit have developed a reputation for the high-tempo brand of football that they play, and there was certainly no lack of intensity or endeavour from Weaver's men at Glanford Park on Saturday.

They demonstrated real hunger in pressing their hosts all over the park, grafting hard out of possession to make sure that they saw enough of the ball to be able to hurt the Iron.

The platform for a fourth win in five League Two outings was there, particularly from the moment that Josh March's 27th-minute penalty got them back on level terms at 1-1.

But, while two defensive lapses meant that they went in at the break 2-1 down and would ultimately cost them the game, Town rarely troubled home custodian Mark Howard and didn't do anywhere near enough to try and get themselves back into the contest during the second 45.

"It can be reduced to a war zone can League Two where it is up, back, through, smash, smash, smash and it's not pretty. But, there have to be moments where you're brave with the ball and there weren't those moments at Scunthorpe," Weaver reflected.

"What we did in the second half when we were chasing the game was too little, too late. I said to the players, 'do you think the fans watching back home will have thought we did enough with the ball?'

"Everyone ran around and there was a terrific energy output and we were closing them down brilliantly, but we didn't show the required quality or creativity to cut them open and test the keeper.

"It's a given that our players will give 100 per cent, but we can't just run around and expect to get back into games by hooking things on and not showing a bit of class. We're at a level now where we've got to be better on the ball.

"Energy is the bare minimum we expect and I've said to the players that we're not going to keep talking about it because nobody would even be in the building if they weren't prepared to give 100 per cent."

Saturday's defeat drops Harrogate down to 15th in the League Two standings ahead of the visit of Mansfield who are 18th and without a victory in four matches.