Harrogate Town new boy Shawn McCoulsky 'ready' to make his mark in the Football League after best-ever season

The 28-year-old became the League Two Sulphurites' third signing of the summer when he joined the club on a free transfer from Maidenhead United earlier this week.

Plucked from non-league by Bristol City a decade ago, the pacy six-foot-two forward enjoyed a relatively successful loan spell with Newport County in 2017/18, notching on six occasions in League Two and 11 in all competitions.

But, he struggled to find the net during his time in League One with Southend United, then failed to score a single league goal in a two-year stint at fourth-tier Forest Green Rovers.

Four League Two appearances for Colchester United during 2021/22 also failed to yield a goal, but McCoulsky has enjoyed a more productive period in the National League with Maidenhead.

He hit 32 goals in 65 starts for the Magpies (143 appearances in total), and although he was hardly prolific during his first two-and-a-half seasons at York Road, he was used predominantly from the substitutes' bench and started just 20 league games in that time.

Last term saw him really establish himself as United's main man up front, and he netted 15 in 36 National League starts, scoring a total of 18 in all competitions.

Finishing as the leading marksman in a team that struggled throughout the campaign and was eventually relegated makes those numbers seem all the more impressive - and McCoulsky himself is confident that he can carry on doing the business in the colours of Harrogate.

"I was out of the EFL for three years but had a good season last year at Maidenhead and I think now is the right time to make that jump," he said. "I am ready.

"I scored a lot of goals last year, I was definitely playing some of my bet football and, as a striker, you want to help your team with goals and hopefully I can do that here at Harrogate.

"I want Harrogate to become home now, to create memories here and to kick on."