Reece Smith's absence from Harrogate Town's recent pre-season friendlies explained by Simon Weaver

The 24-year-old left-winger was one of the few players to emerge from last season’s relegation from League Two with any real credit, contributing three goals and seven assists in 52 appearances.

His promising debut season in the Football League made Smith the subject of reported interest from Walsall and Oldham earlier this summer, but the Sulphurites remain hopeful of keeping hold of one of their prize assets.

And the fact that he did not feature against South Shields – where he was named amongst the substitutes but did not come on – or Doncaster Rovers is injury-related.

"Reece was in the squad on Tuesday, but is carrying a slight niggle, so we didn’t bring him on,” Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.

“He is okay. It is nothing serious and I don’t expect it to keep him out for too long.”

Given how well he took to life in League Two last term, it remains to be seen whether Smith will remain at Wetherby Road as Town attempt to escape the National League at the first time of asking.

The Sulphurites have already had to let captain Jack Evans and promising centre-half Chanse Headman move on after the allure of League One football with Notts County and Bromley proved too much for those players to turn down.

Weaver confirmed last week that “a maximum of one more player” could potentially exit the Marcy Fitness Stadium over the coming weeks, therefore if that reported interest in Smith turns into a concrete bid, his departure remains a possibility.

In the mean time, Harrogate hope that the former Maidenhead attacker will be fit enough to play some part in their final pre-season friendly, at home to National League North outfit Scarborough Athletic this Saturday (3pm).

That fixture is the last that Town will play before their 2026/27 National League campaign gets underway against Solihull Moors on August 8.