Huddersfield Town prospect Jaheim Headley praised after ending Harrogate Town's long wait for a goal from open play

On-loan Huddersfield left-back Jaheim Headley smashed home a fierce edge-of-the-box effort either side of Andy Cook’s penalty and a neat Tyreik Wright finish which ultimately saw the Bantams to a 2-1 success at Wetherby Road.

And, while Sulphurites boss Simon Weaver was naturally frustrated by the outcome of Saturday’s League Two contest, he admitted that he was “relieved” to see his team end their goal-drought.

Town had drawn a blank in six of their previous seven outings in all competitions, their only goal in that time coming when Luke Armstrong converted from the penalty spot during a 2-1 loss at Sutton United.

Thus, Headley’s strike ended a run of more than 11 hours of football without Harrogate finding the back of the net from open play, a moment which Weaver said lifted a “monkey off our backs.”

The Town boss reflected: "My goodness, I was so pleased to see the ball hit the back of the net.

"We needed it, didn’t we. We have been waiting a while and had lots of nearly moments. Even that itself, it’s a monkey off our backs, we needed that finish.

“The first half goes by without us scoring, though I thought we played well for half an hour and there were lots of moments where we were thinking ‘just get on the end of that’.

"You just have to take the hits and get back in the ring. That was the message at half-time, ‘go on, get back in the ring and go and find an equaliser’ - and within a couple of minutes, we had a goal. It was such a relief.

"It came after a spell of really intense closing down and pressing, pressing, pressing in our shape. It comes to a full-back high up the pitch, which is what we want, and it’s a marvelous goal.”

Terriers loanee Headley’s first-ever strike in senior football came in what was his ninth appearance of the season for Harrogate.

But, Saturday’s fixture saw him play his first minutes in five matches having been dropped following last month’s 2-0 EFL Trophy defeat at Hartlepool.

The 21-year-old wasn’t even included in Town’s match-day squad for their recent clashes with Sutton, Salford and Stockport, however Weaver said he’s seen enough in training of late to persuade him that Headley deserved a recall.

"I’m pleased for the lad because he has had to wait for his chance again in the team and he took it,” the Sulphurites boss added.

"I thought it was due, an opportunity. I thought that Lewis [Richards] has looked tired at the end of the last two games and Jaheim has been training well, and it’s my job to observe characteristics of the team that we need and that we need to find among this new bunch of players.

"Jaheim has come again [after being dropped], and that's important, he hasn’t got left behind. And, it is important that we recognise the efforts of everybody in training.

"We are still searching for that win, but as an individual he has put in a great shift and scored a fantastic goal as well.”