Jasper Moon confident that Harrogate Town will win more games than they lose if they can replicate Cheltenham Town display
The Sulphurites ended up losing the game 1-0 to a stoppage-time sucker-punch, but were much the better side during the first half and twice came close to breaking the deadlock after the interval.
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Hide AdAnd although hugely disappointed to end up on the losing side on his Harrogate debut, centre-half Moon believes that his new club will soon begin climbing the League Two standings following what has been a slow start to the 2024/25 campaign.
"I think that if we play that way – especially how we did in the first half – for the rest of the season, you'll get more wins and more points than you don't,” he said. “So I think it's a positive step. I think we are going in the right direction.
"First half, we were building from the back, doing really well. We had possession, lots of attacking football, keeping the ball, getting the ball into the box, creating chances.
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Hide Ad"In my opinion, we were miles the better team. Second half, they changed a little bit, so we found it harder to get out when we tried to play, but then we found ways around it.
"Obviously, they got back into the game a bit more, but it [Cheltenham’s late winner] is one of the hardest ones to take because it's not like they've done an amazing bit of play and scored a goal where you hold your hands up.
"They've just whipped it in and obviously one of their players gets on the end of it, not one of ours. So it's a tough one to take, it's a big kick in the teeth.”
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Hide AdMoon, who arrived at Wetherby Road on transfer deadline day on a season-long loan from League One Burton Albion, enjoyed a solid debut on the right of Harrogate’s back three, slotting in seamlessly despite having played very little football since the conclusion of 2023/24.
But, he insists that his own individual performance means very little to him in the wake of his new side suffering that late heartbreak.
"I thought that I did alright, he added. “My fitness is getting there. A few more games and I'll be flying again, so it's just about building up that fitness.
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Hide Ad"But obviously it's a team game, so I'm not thinking about myself right now. I feel exactly what the rest of the lads feel, and that's a bit disappointed with the way it's gone.
"You don't want to travel all the way down here and then come work as hard as that and then you lose the game.
"So I think there is a lot of disappointment, but there's also a fair bit we can be positive about.”
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Hide AdMoon’s switch to Harrogate materialised after he was frozen out at Burton – for whom he made 28 appearances in League One last term – following the arrival of new owners.
On his decision to join up with Simon Weaver’s team, he said: “I'm really pleased to be here. When I had my time at Barnsley, I just loved it. So obviously, to be up North again, it's an enjoyable place in the world.
"I just think that this is a good club, that’s trying to go in the right direction. It seems like a family club and I just wanted to be part of it. I spoke to the manager and he seems really good.
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Hide Ad"As a footballer, what you want to do is obviously play games. But I wasn't getting that this season. So, Harrogate gave me the opportunity to come and play games and hopefully we get results and do well as a group, as that's what matters.”
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