Luke Armstrong happier than ever and wanting to stay at Harrogate Town

The Sulphurites’ leading marksman has joined manager Simon Weaver in pouring cold water on speculation linking him with a move away from the club during the January transfer window.

Last week brought suggestion on social media that National League Stockport County were on the verge of completing a deal for the 25-year-old striker, who only arrived at Wetherby Road in June.

But Armstrong insists that he is as happy in North Yorkshire as he has been at any stage of his footballing career.

“I absolutely love it at Harrogate Town,” he told the Harrogate Advertiser.

“It’s been a massive turnaround for me from being at Salford where I wasn’t enjoying my career. I moved to Hartlepool on loan and really enjoyed it and have come here and I’m enjoying myself even more than I was at Hartlepool.

“This is the most I’ve enjoyed my football. I know where the clubs wants to go, the manager believes in me and I believe in what the manager wants to do.

“So, I’m 100 per cent happy here, I want to stay and help take this club forwards.”

Speaking last week, Weaver dismissed speculation suggesting that Town had received an offer from Stockport for their 11-goal forward and went on to state that the club has no intention of selling him, nor any of their other key players.

“There has been no bid for Luke Armstrong, nobody has approached us about him this month,” he confirmed.

“I can’t imagine that any club at our level or the level below would be able to table a bid big enough for us to even consider letting a player we value as much as Luke go.

“We are not in the business of letting our best players leave for a club at the same level or below. It’s important to build on the progression we have made in recent seasons. We are looking to keep on improving.”

Armstrong has undoubtedly improved Town since joining the club from Salford City during the close season, providing a more mobile focal point for Weaver's attack while demonstrating a genuinely ruthless edge inside the penalty area.

Sunday's FA Cup trip to Luton saw him go toe-to-toe with three seasoned Championship centre-halves and, despite having a couple of them breathing down his neck almost every time he went anywhere near the ball, he did not look out of place.

Although the ex-Middlesbrough man did fail to convert a couple of chances that he would usually gobble up, he competed well physically and in the air, his hold-up play and link play was tidy throughout and he threaded a couple of lovely passes in behind to put team-mates Jack Muldoon and Brahima Diarra goal-side of the Hatters' back-line.

"I was happy with parts of my performance, I 100 per cent didn't feel out of my depth," Armstrong added.

"Playing Championship level, I'd like to think that I can compete and, on another day with the chances I got, I could have scored two.

"Their keeper has pulled off a great save at the end when Brahima squared the ball to us and there's one I should guide on target when I got there before the keeper at 2-0.

"If those two go in then it's a really good performance. I feel as if I definitely held my own and played well, but at the end of the day I get paid to score goals, so that is what I have to reflect on."