Harrogate Town's George Thomson stakes his claim for extended run in the side

In the three matches that he has started for Harrogate Town thus far he has scored twice and set up another. From midfield.

Out of favour at the start of the season, when he finally got a chance from the start he provided the assist for Mark Beck’s winner at FC Halifax Town back in September.

The following game saw him net the opening goal in a 2-0 home success over Sutton United.

Thomson then picked up an injury and has again had to bide his time on the substitutes’ bench since returning to fitness.

Yet, two assists during a cameo against Chesterfield on Saturday prompted manager Simon Weaver to recall the ex-FC United of Manchester winger to his first XI for Tuesday’s Yorkshire derby with Halifax.

Thomson duly obliged with another goal, helping his team to a 2-2 draw, and the 27-year-old is now hopeful of nailing down his place in the side.

“It was nice to be back out there,” he said.

“Obviously I was unfortunate to get the injury that I did and then the boys were on such a good run I couldn’t have any complaints about trying to get back in the team and it was just a matter of trying to be patient.

“All you can do when you get an opportunity off the bench is show what you can do and that’s what I’ve tried to do every time I’ve come on.

“The gaffer felt that Halifax was the right time for me to go back in and hopefully I can have a run of games now and try to keep contributing goals and assists.”

Although happy to be back in from the start, Thomson was less pleased with Tuesday’s result.

“We might look back and think it’s a good point, but I feel like it should’ve been three the way that second half was going,” he added.

“It was one-way traffic and we’ve said in the changing room that it looked like there was only going to be one winner in that second half but then they’ve got their chance and scored their second goal.

"That takes the wind out of your sails a little bit, but credit to the boys, down to 10 men we've got a last-minute equaliser, but it could quite easily have been three points.

"I think that if you look back on the last couple of seasons, you might say that we would have lost that game, so it just shows the character in that dressing room that we can still go on and get the point.

"We move on now, it's not a loss, it's a point on the board, so we go to Sutton on Saturday full of confidence and hopefully get three points there.