Simon Weaver ‘pleased' by Harrogate Town 'reaction' as pre-season ends with victory over Scarborough Athletic
Simon Weaver declared himself “pleased” with Harrogate Town’s “reaction” to going a goal down as they came from behind to beat Scarborough Athletic 2-1 in their final pre-season outing.
The Sulphurites failed to hit the levels they reached against League One Doncaster Rovers the Saturday previous, and headed into the interval a goal down to their sixth-tier visitors following a first-half display that lacked intensity.
But, they performed better after the interval and Luke Hall’s 31st-minute opener was cancelled out almost straight from the restart when Bailey Hobson finished off Lewis Payne’s cross.
Cathal Heffernan then popped up with an 89th-minute header from George Thomson’s left-wing corner to earn the hosts a fifth win in six friendly outings.
“The aim of pre-season is to put players into different scenarios in terms of opposition and styles in order that they are prepared for what is to come,” Weaver said.
"So I thought that Saturday was a good game for us because Scarborough came here and made it really hard for us.
“They went a goal up and, for the first time in pre-season, we came in at half-time with a little bit of disappointment around the changing room. That is good to a certain extent, but you have got to learn to reset – and we reacted well after half-time.
"I was pleased with the second half. I thought that we attacked it straight from the off, scored shortly after the restart and proceeded to play on the front foot for the rest of the half.
"We played at a higher tempo and the outside centre-halves joined in, so we were able to get down the sides of them easier and into better crossing positions. It felt like it [a second goal] was coming, but it was important to score that winner later.”
Scarborough took the lead against National League Town just after the half-hour mark when it was all too easy for Hall was able to tap home Jack Waldron’s low, deflected cross.
On conceding such a poor goal, Weaver added: "Scarborough scored with probably their second effort on goal, and from a defensive point of view, that needed reviewing at half-time.
"We needed to create more intensity with our defending in that moment.”
Town kicked-off their pre-season campaign with victories over seventh-tier Guisley and Cleethorpes, before upping the ante somewhat when they travelled to take on a South Shields side who narrowly missed out on promotion to the National League at the end of last term.
They managed to win that game 2-1 before serving up their most impressive performance of the summer as they drew 2-2 at home to League One Doncaster.
That result was followed up by a 3-1 success over Derby County Under-21s, with Heffernan, George Thomson and Shawn McCoulsky all on target in a match that took place behind closed doors.
Saturday’s triumph against Scarborough then made it five wins in six, and Weaver said that he has been able to take plenty of positives from how his players have gone about their business over the course of the summer.
"I think the lads have carried out their duties really well in pre-season. They have grafted hard, listened in and been great to work with.
“The lads have worked hard every day in training both on the fitness side, and on the shape, and on how to get better both in and out of possession.
“We want to be hard to play against. We want to be stubborn and miserly, and there is still work to be done in that regard.
“But, there have been more goals and fewer injuries than last pre-season and more enterprising play.”
Town, who were relegated from League Two on the final day of last season, kick-off their 2026/27 National League campaign at home to Solihull Moors this Saturday (3pm).