Simon Weaver concedes that he cannot continue to defend Harrogate Town's failings at the back

The Sulphurites matched high-flying Northampton for long periods at Wetherby Road on Saturday, but conceded twice at set-pieces on their way to a 2-1 loss.

Four days earlier, they were booed off at half-time on their way to a 4-1 mauling by top-of-the-table Forest Green Rovers and currently have the worst defensive record of any team in the top half of the division.

Weaver has repeatedly been left to lament his side's failings in and around their own box in recent months and says that it has reached the point where he is worried about being perceived to be "in denial" about where Town's problems really lie.

"It's simple balls into the box. We can't be flaky at the back and we have been recently," he said.

"I can't keep defending it just because people have sensitive dispositions or I'm trying to keep the feel-good factor in the changing room. I lose respect from other players if I don't seem like I'm on it and realise where the weakness lies.

"We have played better football on the deck in the last couple of home games than we have done previously, but we can't just rise to it defensively as a one-off like last week at Portsmouth.

"We got away with it at Carlisle, there were mad, mad moments away at Swindon. The stats don't lie, attacking-wise, we are up there in the top-three, defensively we are down amongst the bottom end of it. So we know where we need to improve.

"It's hard to improve all areas at Harrogate Town straight away at this level, but it is so obvious for everyone to see and I don't want to be looking like I am in denial by just being Mr Nice Guy and saying 'we go again, we're brilliant in all positions' - because we're not. Defensively, we are miles off it.

"I think we can do a lot better and I think we could be a lot higher up in the table if we could put our head on it in our box."

Defensive lapses aside, there was very little between the teams over the course of Saturday's contest and Weaver said that he once again felt as if his charges matched one of League Two's in-form sides in terms of how they performed when in possession of the ball.

"At times we played some very good football and looked good going forwards again, but two balls into the box were not defended," he added.

"We shouldn't be 1-0 down. We were absolutely daft at the back at times with our decision-making, we're just not defending with grit and determination and it has become a recurring problem.

"We are learning a lot. Basically, we learned today that you need to slap your head on it at wide free-kicks and corners - and that can be the difference at this level. We had them worried when we got the ball down and played.

"But for individual errors the other night and today, we pick up points against the best sides at our level. I thought the lads persevered and showed great effort and I feel sorry for a lot of them, who played really well and shouldn't have been on the losing team.

"Losing 2-1 to what was a League One team and probably will be again next year, isn't a disgrace so we won't lose heart, but it is just a shame for the home support again that they've seen another defeat."

Trailing to Fraser Horsfall’s close-range opener from Mitch Pinnock's right-wing corner, Jack Diamond drew Harrogate level with a fine individual strike on 24 minutes.

But, Jon Guthrie headed the Cobblers back in front, meeting another Pinnock set-piece from the right four minutes after half-time and Town were unable to muster a second equaliser.

On the exact failings of his defence for the two goals that Northampton netted on Saturday, Weaver added: "We've lost the game to two lofted balls into the box. That's the most disappointing thing.

"For the first goal, we flattened out because it's very difficult when they get in that train to get in between. The last man should have picked up Fraser Horsfall, but they didn't. It's one of those fundamental errors, individual errors, and it has cost us.

"I've seen it [Northampton's second] back on the video, its not good watching defensively. We had a line of eight defending that ball and we allowed two opponents to get between a wall of eight. There was nobody attacking the ball, which is really galling being a defender myself."

Defeat drops Town down to 10th in the League Two standings.