Harrogate Town opinion: Notts County display was perfect, but can we please keep James Belshaw?

Whatever the truth behind his departure, the ‘official’ reason that we were looking for a keeper with Football League experience never washed with me, and I was gutted when James Belshaw left for Bristol Rovers at the end of 2020/21.

He’d been an integral part of the team that brought Town into the Football League and was that very rare breed of footballer: a galvanising influence both on and off the pitch, his link with the fans unbreakable.

Seeing him being taken to heart immediately by the Bristol fans, winning player of the season and being carried shoulder-high around the pitch when they gained promotion from League Two, felt like a kick in the teeth.

He’d not had the most successful first season for Town in the Football League by his own standards, losing his place late on to Joe Cracknell, as we played in front of deserted terraces during the pandemic.

We never really had a chance to say goodbye to him either, as by the time we were allowed back into Wetherby Road the following season, he’d departed, briefly returning with Bristol Rovers to earn them a 1-0 win here.

It may only be an emergency loan currently, but what excitement to see him running out in the green Harrogate jersey again this weekend following the unfortunate injuries suffered by Mark Oxley and, more recently, Jonathan Mitchell.

The excitement didn’t end there as Town despatched Notts County with what I think was the perfect home performance. It was both controlled and explosive when it needed to be.

My previous criticisms have centred around us conceding too much of the pitch to teams above us by defending too deep and hence finding it hard to go forward positively. Today, we nailed it.

If our visitors looked ponderous and lacklustre it was because Town made them look that way. Possession stats showed County enjoying two thirds of the ball, but the bulk of it was in front of their own goalkeeper where it couldn’t hurt us as the Town players defended from the opposition half, whilst being content for the Magpies to waste their own time on the edge of their penalty box.

With no options ahead, back pass after back pass was executed to Aidan Stone to ever-louder cheers from the home stands. He’d pause, put his foot on the ball, look around and stand there struggling to pick a pass, before knocking it short to a defender who’d knock it across the pitch to another defender who’d pass it back to the keeper.

Then the whole doom loop would start all over again, sometimes with more passes but always to the same effect. Two-nil up by this point, we were having the time of our lives in the stands, watching our opponents run the clock down as the interval approached.

When County did venture into the Town half, our midfielders picked them off and attacked with pace and menace. Abraham Odoh had their left-back on toast for most of the first half and Matty Daly had one of his finest matches in a Town shirt, finding little pockets of space, assisting the first two goals and scoring the third with a delightful Johan Cruyff-style back-heel flick.

If the first goal was a sign of our newfound incisiveness – nicking the ball, direct running, one-touch passing, numbers forward and a devastating first-time strike from George Thomson - the second was the match in a nutshell.

Odoh received a long raking pass from the superb Anthony O’Connor, ran at a retreating defence and slid it to Daly, whose low early shot was spilled by the hapless Stone.

Still lying on the floor, the Notts custodian flapped half-heartedly at the spilled ball, Adam Chicksen watched, hesitated and Odoh (who’d never stopped running) stole in at pace between them both to slide the loose ball into the net.

The only real difference in the second period was that Stone dispensed with playing out from the back in favour of punting it up field to no avail. When County were again forced back to their keeper, the sarcastic cheers ensued, so much so that you could see the defenders really trying not to pass back as the half wore on for fear of embarrassment.

Then, from nowhere, Notts scored a wonder free-kick and nearly levelled the scores with their next attack. They pushed forward again with a renewed sense of purpose and a revitalised support, then Town stole possession and broke quickly, but lost momentum, or so it seemed.

Dean Cornelius recycled possession, fed Thompson wide right, and there was Daly with his deft touch. Magpies killed off.

One visiting fan summed his team up afterwards as having League One attackers and National League defenders. I’d agree, except they’d seemingly left most of the League One attack in the motorway services. And it would be National League North at the back.

After all the build-up, Belshaw had a most welcome and certainly unexpectedly quiet afternoon. One great point-blank stop (which he held on to) at 1-0, a couple of timely interventions in a sweeping role on the edge of the area, a touch on a ball that may have been going wide anyway and no chance with the free-kick.

But he oozed agility and alertness, he’s always been fast on his feet, and oh how we’ve missed the trademark fist pump and huge grin towards the Kop at the end of the match. Can we make this state of affairs permanent?