Simon Weaver reveals impact that sickness bug has had on his Harrogate Town squad during festive period

The Sulphurites had to negotiate three League Two fixtures in the space of six days between Boxing Day and New Year’s Day minus the services of between seven and eight injured players, while also contending with widespread illness.

Influential midfielder Alex Pattison missed the 3-2 victory over Grimsby on December 28 having been sick on Christmas Day, while striker Dior Angus was absent at Hartlepool on Sunday and is still unwell.

Other players, such as goalkeeper Pete Jameson, have managed to play on while contending with the bug, which Weaver says has left members of his squad with cold and flu-like symptoms, severe coughs and in some cases, vomiting.

Left-back Jaheim Headley and versatile forward Sam Folarin are the latest to be struck down, and now face a race against time to recover in time for Saturday’s home clash with Colchester United.

“It has been like pass the parcel in recent weeks with this bug, it’s just been one player after the next,” Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"It’s been knocking lads off their feet, they’ve been bed-ridden some of them and these are professional athletes, they are all fit.

"We know it’s not Covid, but it has really taken its toll. Alex Pattison is through the other side of it now and looks so much better, but it really hit him hard over Christmas.

"Pete Jameson is one who has carried on through it but he’s been under the weather. Dior Angus picked it up just before New Year and is still struggling.

"Sam and Jaheim are the latest two. Hopefully they recover before Saturday, but most lads who have been affected by this bug have needed at least three or four days to get over it, so I’m not too sure.”

While Town have been hit particularly hard, Weaver isn’t aware that any of the teams that they have come up against in recent weeks have been enduring problems with illness to the same extent.

"I’m not too sure exactly how other teams in League Two have been affected if I am honest,” he added.

"I’ve spoken to a few people at the clubs we have played recently. Bradford had a couple out, I believe. [Jamie] Walker was one player they mentioned, he’d lost quite a bit of weight through being ill, they said.

"But it wasn’t name after name they were talking about, and that’s what it has been like for us. It’s been really difficult with so many lads having been unwell on top of a fairly long injury list.

"Maybe I am just feeling a bit sorry for myself, I don’t know. But it has been frustrating because we’ve got a bigger squad this season, yet we’ve had so many players out all at once that it’s actually felt that we’ve had less lads available to pick from.”

While Angus, Headley and Folarin are all currently ill, Town also have injury doubts over defender Joe Mattock (heel) and midfielder Josh Falkingham (hamstring) ahead of this weekend’s showdown with Colchester.

Josh Coley, Matty Daly, Stephen Dooley, Kyle Ferguson and Will Smith will all definitely miss out, though on-loan Huddersfield winger Danny Grant should be fit enough to return.