Six-foot-four 'elegant' ball-playing centre-half - Meet Harrogate Town's second summer signing

Simon Weaver has swooped to make his second signing since the club secured promotion to the Football League, landing ex-Wrexham and Salford City man Jake Lawlor.

The 29-year-old followed former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Connor Kirby into the CNG Stadium on Tuesday as the Sulphurites look to strengthen ahead of the new season.

Town ended 2019/20 by winning the National League play-offs, but did so with just four defenders on their books, and thus defensive reinforcements are a priority for Weaver this summer.

The Harrogate chief was keen to add some extra height and presence to his squad, but was not prepared to compromise when it came to his preference for defenders who are comfortable with a football at their feet.

Hence, a move for Lawlor - a player with ties to the local area, whose two -year deal with Wrexham expired recently - made perfect sense.

"He's 6' 4" and we haven't had that go-to big man in the defence, but what is also important is that he's good on the ball," Weaver said.

"We like to drop off and play. We couldn't just bring in a clogger, we need lads who are comfortable in possession and Jake is a good all-round footballer.

"He is very talented. He played as a central midfielder for Railway and Guiseley before being used at the back by Salford and then Wrexham.

"He's good in the air, a real competitor, but also quite elegant at the same time. He's always done very well defensively when he's played against us and he's someone who I've tried to get more than once or twice before.

"He's driven and also a local lad. He really fits the bill."

While pleased to get a deal for Lawlor over the line, Weaver was keen to stress that he is in the market for options to strengthen his playing group as a whole, not replace the men who earned Town an historic promotion to League Two.

"There will be a lot of games in the EFL next season, so we need the extra numbers and also real competition for places," he added.

"Connor [Hall] and Will [Smith] have done wonderfully well for us. This isn't about replacing them, it's a case of making the group stronger, giving us the option to rest players when they need it, and having that cover if we get injuries.

"I was having sleepless nights before the play-off final because we only had four defenders, and one of them - Warren Burrell - couldn't train because of a knock. We couldn't even work on our defensive shape in training the week before the game.

"We had to address that and make sure we had that padding within the squad."

Lawlor began his career with Ossett Town before joining Town's neighbours, Harrogate Railway.

His performances at Station View caught the eye of Steve Kittrick who took him to Guiseley, where he helped the Lions achieve promotion to The National League during nearly six years at the club.

He joined AFC Fylde on loan in February 2018, before a short stint at Salford City that summer preceded his arrival in Wales.

As well as netting against Town during his time at Guiseley, Lawlor started both home and away fixtures when Wrexham tackled Harrogate this season.