Simon Weaver could switch to three at the back as he aims to make Harrogate Town 'more flexible and fluid'
Simon Weaver is aiming to mould Harrogate Town into a “more flexible and fluid” outfit as he looks to mastermind an immediate return to the Football League.
Having reshaped his squad as he prepares for life in the National League, long-serving Weaver is also in the process of working out which system and style of play will give Town the best chance of achieving promotion.
Harrogate almost always set up in a 4-4-2 as they escaped the sixth, then the fifth tier in 2018 and 2020, though their manager moved away from what was always his preferred formation during their six-year stay in the Football League.
And although he has always traditionally favoured a back four, the Harrogate chief has been experimenting with a three-man defence at different stages of recent pre-season victories over Guiseley, Cleethorpes and South Shields.
Although that system remains a work in progress, it could well be the way the Sulphurites line up for their first league fixture of the new term, at home to Solihull Moors on August 8.
"We need to be adaptable and modern,” Weaver told BBC Radio York. “We are trying to freshen things up and you want to have fresh innovation within the ranks with the coaching.
"But, everything is aimed towards a game model where we can be more flexible and fluid, which is exciting.
"If you look at League Two and the National League, there are teams who have enjoyed good success with a back three with wing-backs, and I feel that when we have played with wingers on either side who cut inside, we sometimes haven’t had enough deliveries into the box.
"If you look at our team when we went up, Ryan Fallowfield played right-back like a wing-back because he created width and put wonderful balls into the box.
"When we went up from National League North, we did so with Joe Leesley’s left-footed delivery, so we are looking to stick the ball in the box more.”