Harrogate Town opinion: Playing Alex Pattison in a midfield two brings the best out of Sulphurites

The sight of Alex Pattison running with the ball from deep and bursting past defenders as if they were not there during the second half of Harrogate Town’s midweek stalemate with Mansfield reminded me of something

It brought back memories of the early weeks of the season, a time when both he and the Sulphurites were scoring goals for fun and winning games together on a regular basis.

There is no getting away from the fact that Tuesday’s first-half performance with the ball was as almost pointless as it was boring due to the home team's persistence with the baffling tactic of booting hopeful balls up in the air despite having a gale-force wind at their back.

But, credit where it’s due, the football served up after the interval was far better and provides hope that Town are still capable of delivering fare which their supporters can enjoy watching between now and the end of the season.

Last weekend’s comfortable 3-0 success over basement boys Oldham Athletic aside, there has been little to write home about in terms of recent performances.

Simon Weaver’s men were abject on their way to worryingly heavy defeats on the road at Newport County and Stevenage, and although they worked hard and looked fairly solid in their recent EFL trophy quarter-final at Sutton United they still lost that game, failing to score in the process.

In fact, Harrogate have now drawn a blank in five of their previous six outings in all competitions. During that time they have won just the one game, while their previous 10 League Two fixtures have yielded just the two victories

However, the decision to revert back to a 4-4-2 formation with Pattison in the engine room alongside Josh Falkingham promises better things.

Of the nine league fixtures which Town have won this term, seven of them have been achieved with Pattison playing in the centre of midfield within a 4-4-2 system.

Early victories over Rochdale, Barrow, Mansfield, Oldham and Scunthorpe were all achieved with the ex-Middlesbrough man marauding through the middle of the pitch.

When I think about when the Sulphurites have looked at their very best in 2021/22, that’s the image that springs to mind and, the second half of Tuesday evening provided glimpses of what Weaver’s troops can do when they’re really at it.

It's not just a feeling, there are statistics to back up what I'm saying. During those five aforementioned matches, Pattison is officially credited with five goals and two assists, though he also provided the excellent low cross which led to Jack Muldoon netting away at Mansfield.

More recent away wins against Walsall and Carlisle were also achieved with the help of a Pattison assist at the Bescott Stadium and a goal up in Cumbria. Positive attacking performances which led to decent points against strong opposition - Newport and Tranmere at home - were achieved playing a 4-4-2 with Pattison in the centre of midfield.

I am not suggesting that this is a formula that always works. Pattison was deployed in what I reckon to be his best position during back-to-back home defeats to Bristol Rovers and Salford City, for example, and Town played poorly on each occasion.

But, key statistics prove that, more often than not, this system is effective and Pattison is a key component. Of the 15 games they've emerged victorious from this season, they've set up in a 4-4-2 in 10 of them.

They have only come out on top in one League Two match this season without Pattison in their starting XI, and that was against basement boys Oldham.

The nine League Two matches where they have lined-up in what I'm classing as either a 4-3-3 or a 3-4-3 have yielded just two triumphs and, again, one of those was the recent success over a Latics side who are in disarray.

I don't believe that there should never be any deviation away from 4-4-2, and the point of this piece is not to try and suggest that any success Town have is about one single player, but I feel that Pattison adds an extra dimension with his ability to drive past opponents and drag his team up the pitch and into dangerous areas.

I'm not saying that their midweek draw with the Stags was solely a result of what Pattison did. That was not the case at all. Brahima Diarra was also excellent on the right wing, while Jack Diamond impressed on the opposite flank. As a unit, Harrogate looked pretty solid defensively.

But, it seems as if being deployed in a 4-4-2 can bring out the very best in both the team and in the former Wycombe Wanderers man - and not just going forwards. Pattison won a number of headers inside his own half in midweek and also got through plenty of useful work off the ball and around the edge of Harrogate’s penalty area.

I’m a firm believer in horses for courses when it comes to formation, tactics and personnel, but I’d love to see Town line up in a 4-4-2 again on Saturday, because I fancy them to turn derby rivals Bradford City for a third time if they deliver a similar kind of display to the one we saw in the second half against the Stags.

For me, the likes of Pattison are Diamond are so good with the ball at their feet that, when they get it in the right areas, have the license to go and do what they do best and make the right decisions, there's probably nobody in the division who can cope with them.

Cast your minds back, if you will, to Sheffield Wednesday away in the EFL Trophy back in November. Yes, Town lost that game convincingly because they defended horrifically, but those two still tore a League One outfit to shreds for a good hour of the contest.

Diarra wasn't playing for Harrogate at that point, but he's got the quickest, most mesmerising footwork of anyone in the squad and I don't think he's too far behind in terms of the potential impact he can have at this level of football.

It's obviously about getting the balance right and making sure that they are keeping the back door shut at the same time, but 4-4-2 is what this team does best because it's the structure they've operated within for so long under Weaver and it's earned them two promotions. For me, it remains the way forward.

The 4-3-3 has provided the framework for arguably Harrogate’s two most impressive away results of the campaign - those two memorable triumphs at Portsmouth and Leyton Orient. Personally, I like that option for those games where you're expecting the opponent to dominate the ball, particularly on the road.

Indeed, there are obvious merits in going with three centre-halves when you’re leaking goals for fun.

For different reasons, I think that Rory McArdle, Leon Legge, Warren Burrell and Lewis Richards are all probably better suited to operating as part of a three-man back-line.

The down side of that system, in my opinion, is that I don't believe that either Pattison, Diamond or Diarra are a natural fit anywhere on the park and those three are all match-winners in their own right.

So, for me, 4-4-2 and making the most of Pattison’s undoubted talents in the role he plays his best football looks a good bet at this moment in time.