New-look Harrogate Town were never going to have things all their own way at start of season, insists Simon Weaver

The Sulphurites overhauled their squad in the summer, adding no fewer than 16 players – four of whom arrived on transfer deadline day.

But, following a bright start to the campaign which saw them beat Swindon and Gillingham early on, they have failed to win in seven matches.

That run of form means that they head into Saturday’s derby with Bradford City 19th in League Two and just three points above the relegation zone.

Weaver however has been keen to stress that his players still need time to gel.

“You want to be the best in the league straight away, things will be written and said by people expecting us to hit the ground running with a brand-new group, but it’s not possible,” he said.

"It’s not possible, however I think that the supporters are appreciating the pace we’ve now got in the team and there’s a refreshing atmosphere about the squad.

"It’s younger, there’s more pace and we are trying to play. We’ve had nearly moments and chances to win these games [against Salford and Stockport].

"But, we’re Harrogate Town, please don’t expect us to get in that top three straight away from signing 16 new players.”

On the challenge of integrating a host of new faces all at once, he added: "First and foremost with a brand-new squad, we strip it right back and the biggest challenge is embedding our culture from the last five years into a new group. It doesn’t happen overnight.

"You learn more during defeats and we are learning. Some players are emerging and some players have got to get used to playing twice a week because they’ve come from academies where you play 20 games per season.

"Nailing the mindset, coming in early for training, doing extras and understanding our way, that’s first. Then, we start looking to be more gritty in games, reacting better to disappointments.

"They’ve had different pressures, some of these lads, during the first few months here to anything they’ve experienced before.

"We want to create a sense of belonging and we will look after them, but at the same time, we need results.”