Harrogate Town must show character in adversity following relegation from the Football League
Simon Weaver believes that the nature of Harrogate Town’s reaction to their relegation from the Football League will determine just how quickly the club can recover from such a seismic blow.
The Sulphurites’ six-year stay in League Two was ended by a 2-1 home defeat to Barnet on the last day of 2025/26, with that result ensuring that they finished the campaign second from bottom of the table.
And although the loss of their Football League status will sting for some time to come and have significant ramifications in a number of areas, boss Weaver insists that it is important that he, his colleagues and the members of playing staff who stick around for the return to the National League show their “mettle” and remain ambitious.
“Obviously we are all disappointed,” he said. “But it’s important that we show character straight away. That’s how I see it.
"It's an opportunity for everybody on our side to react well. It's an opportunity to show our mettle as grown-ups, as men, and show good examples of how to react in adversity and disappointment.
"To get to the EFL was something we never dreamt of but the ambition doesn't just stop because you get hit between the eyes for a season.
"We've played some absolutely brilliant stuff in the last 15 games and it's how we react in the summer – how the club and the community does, and that will define it.
“This is still a relatively new club at this level and the level below, and life doesn’t always go in a straight line, particularly for new clubs entering the Football League.
There will be disappointment in the days to come, but we’ve got to show our steel.”
Having accumulated just 18 points from their first 30 matches following a staggering 20-game winless run, Town found themselves in the drop zone and deep in trouble by Christmas.
A busy January transfer window saw nine new faces arrive, and things did improve during the final third of the season as Weaver’s new-look side began to dig in.
And the Harrogate chief said he will at least be able to take some consolation from the way his players rallied in the latter months of the campaign.
“I am proud of the fact that we took it to the final day when, in lots of people’s eyes, we were down and out in December after that incredibly testing time leading up to Christmas,” Weaver added.
“But we turned it around and I’ll go into the summer with that, so I’m thankful to the players.
“They mustn’t beat themselves up and let it affect them too much because they’ve given it everything, the last 15 games.
"They've been courageous, they've run through brick walls for the badge and we have produced performances that we can be proud of when we have had a good enough talent pool of players and enough depth of squad to live with the other teams.”
Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Barnet meant that Town finished 2025/26 one point adrift of safety with a tally of 39 points from their 46 League Two fixtures.