'Lots more to come' from Tom Cursons after striker opens his Harrogate Town account

The 23-year-old, who joined the League Two Sulphurites in the January transfer window following a red-hot spell with seventh-tier Ilkeston, broke his Football League duck on Tuesday evening on what was just his second start for the club.

He met Ellis Taylor’s inviting left-wing cross at the far post and beat visiting goalkeeper Luke McGee with a downward header from just a few yards out to hand Town a 2-0 lead in the 58th minute.

And, although he missed a gilt-edged opportunity with his head in the first half, Cursons’ overall display was of a high standard and provided a glimpse of the potential he has.

"I am absolutely delighted for TC,” the Sulphurites boss said. “He was outstanding all night. He really deserved his goal and I feel that there is lots more to come - he has got great potential.

“He has had to be patient, but last week in training I felt that there was a bit of a breakthrough. He looked absolutely deadly, he was more aggressive and you could see that tonight.

"He was physically strong, he ran the channels, he upset Tranmere’s back-line and popped up in really good areas, so he has a lot of the ingredients to do well.

"His overall performance against [Jordan] Turnbull, who is a big, strong lad, was immense.”

Assessing Cursons’ first strike in Harrogate colours, Weaver added: "It was great for him to get that goal in front of the Kop. It was a brilliant finish.

“He peeled off to the far post and I was begging Ellis to see his run, and he did, with that beautiful dinked cross.

“It was a proper centre-forward’s goal, peeling off into space and heading the ball down.”

Town paid an undisclosed fee to non-league Ilkeston to secure the services of the free-scoring Cursons, who netted 25 goals in 30 appearances during the first half of the season, including a nine-minute hat-trick.

Those exploits attracted interest from a number of League One and Two sides, with Derby County, Bolton Wanderers, Peterborough United, Barnsley and Chesterfield all reportedly keen to sign him around the turn of the year.

But, it was Weaver who managed to tempt the prolific former Barwell and Met Police forward into putting pen to paper on a two-and-a-half year deal at Wetherby Road.

Tuesday’s start was Cursons’ first for Harrogate on home soil and means that he has now played 11 times for the club in total.