Harrogate Town refusing to give up on their League Two play-off 'dream'

The Sulphurites’ push for the top seven has faltered in recent weeks due to them failing to win any of their last eight League Two matches.

A run of seven victories in 10 games saw them seize the division’s final play-off berth on February 10, but since that 1-0 home success over Colchester United, Simon Weaver’s men have taken just four points from a possible 24.

That sequence of results saw them slide all the way down to 14th position prior to Saturday’s goalless draw at Barrow, however a point in Cumbria lifted them back up to 13th, where they now sit just two wins shy of seventh place.

And while Weaver appreciates that it will take a monumental effort to fight their way back into contention, he insists that his players have to “keep believing”.

The Town boss said: “We are six points away from the business end and we have not forgotten about that. We still aspire to still be in the hunt for that.

“Saturday’s result keeps the dream alive and I think that the last two points have been huge for us. A six-point gap compared to eight, it does sound a lot better, it’s achievable. So, we have to keep dreaming, keep believing and keep getting better.

“It’s something to be excited about. We’re not looking over our shoulders. There are bigger clubs than us behind us, trying to get out of their situation and so it should be liberating. We can go and commit to going for wins, especially at home, but without leaving ourselves open.

“You look at this blip, I think that we are showing signs of coming out of it, and when you looked at the fixture list, with these away games, I think that we have done ever so well away from home since Mansfield. We have conceded one in four, and against some top teams, and it does give us confidence.

“Our home form, there’s a Yorkshire derby [against Bradford City] around the corner, and a great occasion to try and put it right.”

A victory against their local rivals next weekend would be the perfect way to get back on track and end a run of three consecutive home defeats, however Town know that they need to start winning games consistently again if they are to have any hope of making up the ground between themselves and the top seven.

Asked about how many wins he thinks Town will need from their eight remaining fixtures to have a realistic chance of breaking back into the play-offs Weaver replied: “It’s always about trying to nail the next game.

"There’s so much work that goes into each game and at this level there can be fine lines that separate two teams, so I haven’t really thought about how many wins we would need.

"But it’s probably going to take five or six wins. We have got to be in every game, it’s as simple as that.”