No room for sentiment at Harrogate Town as Simon Weaver hails impact of new signings

Simon Weaver has admitted that the decision to re-shape his squad mid-season was a tough one for him to make, but is adamant that he could not afford to get sentimental about his promotion-winning side.
Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver. Picture: Getty ImagesHarrogate Town manager Simon Weaver. Picture: Getty Images
Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver. Picture: Getty Images

The Sulphurites boss has brought in six signings during the January transfer window and also landed free agent Ed Francis last month, meaning that the 2019/20 National League play-off final winners' roster now looks very different to the way it did before Christmas.

The majority of the club’s summer business saw Weaver add what he described as “padding”, having vowed to give those players who earned Town’s first-ever promotion to the EFL the opportunity to prove themselves in League Two.

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And although he has always preferred working with a relatively small group, a dip in form following a strong start to the campaign has forced the Harrogate boss to bolster his ranks quite significantly.

Simon Power became Harrogate Town's sixth signing of the winter transfer window and the seventh player to join the club in the space of a month when he was unveiled on January 18.Simon Power became Harrogate Town's sixth signing of the winter transfer window and the seventh player to join the club in the space of a month when he was unveiled on January 18.
Simon Power became Harrogate Town's sixth signing of the winter transfer window and the seventh player to join the club in the space of a month when he was unveiled on January 18.

“It’s not been an easy thing for me to deal with bringing players into the club en masse, because you always worry that the dynamic changes from this close-knit atmosphere that we’ve forged over a few years, but it’s been needed," Weaver said.

"We’ve had people off with Covid, people injured and others hit a brick wall with tiredness. We’ve got this new blood that has freshened up training no end and it is driving us on so far to better performances.

“I think we were ready for that injection of youth and also a reminder that we can never take anything for granted - any of us. We’ve all got to keep striving for improvement.

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“With the young players that have come in, no-one should take anything for granted just because we’ve had a successful run the last few years, we are judging now, on what people are doing on the pitch right now.

"You can be too sentimental and meanwhile slide down the league and be in danger of dropping out [of League Two] at the first hurdle."

Naturally, with seven new faces arriving at Wetherby Road over the last six weeks, some of the players who were already at the club have slipped down the pecking order.

Joe Leesley and Calvin Miller have already been loaned out, and Weaver has confirmed that a couple more fringe players could also be set to make temporary moves away from the EnviroVent Stadium in order that they are able to play games.

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“There’s a couple of players who we have made available to other clubs and two have been in talks," the Harrogate chief added.

“They are good lads but they are going to find it hard to play for the club right now because of the competition for places.

“I don’t think it does anyone any good in football to just be sat in the stands and we don’t want anyone to rot, so we are not preventing anyone from moving on.”

Town return to League Two action on Tuesday evening when they visit Tranmere Rovers, 7pm kick-off.