Return of supporters could not be more timely for out-of-form Harrogate Town

That was the view of manager Simon Weaver following Thursday's announcement that the Sulphurites will be able to permit up to 500 season-ticket holders entry to their League Two clash with Forest Green Rovers this weekend.

The Town boss admitted that his players "need" the backing of their fans and hopes that support and encouragement from the terraces will spur his players on to better things.

Harrogate were thrashed 5-2 by Scunthorpe United in midweek, a defeat that follows their 4-0 FA Cup mauling by Blackpool and a sequence of results which has seen them garner just five points from the last 24 on offer.

“We’re really looking forward to the fans coming back and I’m sure that they are desperate to get inside the ground, but being selfish, we need them with us at the minute,” Weaver said.

“I think they’ll give us the lift we need. On the evidence of the Scunthorpe game, there are a few lads who are towing a bit, they’re tired and I can understand that because they had hardly any rest after the play-off excitement and it’s been relentless ever since.

“The supporters can make a difference in a situation like this. When you go 1-1 like we did on Tuesday, you think ‘come on then’, and that’s where the crowd would really be up.

“Even when we were 2-1 down, you wonder how differently the players might have reacted if they’d had a crowd in encouraging them, or even barking at them and demanding more.

“So, we need our crowd, but at the same time, we’ve got to take responsibility for what we’re doing and make sure that we give them something to cheer in return.”

Harrogate are the only Football League club in the county currently permitted supporters at their home matches. This is due to the fact that North Yorkshire bucked the trend in the Broad Acres when it was handed tier-two status upon the conclusion of the second national coronavirus lockdown.

Teams in tier two areas are allowed as many as 2,000 fans inside their stadium, though Town are restricted to between 400-500 people on this occasion because Saturday's game is being used as a 'test event' to determine the EnviroVent Stadium's suitability for hosting games with spectators.

The club received the green light to go ahead with their plans to welcome back supporters this weekend after presenting successful applications to the local authority's Safety Advisory Group, the Sports Ground Safety Authority and Public Health England.

Promoted to the Football League this summer after beating Notts County at Wembley in the National League play-off final, Saturday will see Town play an EFL fixture in front of their fans for the first time in their 106-year existence.

The last time that spectators were able to attend a league fixture at Wetherby Road was on March 7 when the Sulphurites drew 1-1 with Bromley.