Sunderland AFC loanee Jack Diamond's display one of the few positives Harrogate Town took away from bore draw

Reflecting on a dour goalless draw at Wetherby Road, the Sulphurites boss bemoaned a lack of spark and bravery on the ball, a failure to win the war in midfield and a passiveness when it came to defending their own box.

As an attacking force, the hosts looked blunt, managing to create just one clear goal-scoring opportunity during the entire 90-odd minutes.

There was however one player who Weaver singled out for praise following his very noticeable attempts to make something happen in the final third.

Starved of the ball during the first 45, Jack Diamond came looking for it at every opportunity after half-time and worked hard out on the left flank to try and make inroads into a resolute Boro outfit.

Not everything that the on-loan Sunderland winger tried came off, though his willingness to run with the ball and the success he had in unsettling the Stevenage back-line set him apart from his team-mates.

Needlessly sent off for two bookable offences at Port Vale seven days earlier, Diamond had some making up to do, and went some way to atoning for that indiscretion on his return from a one-match ban.

"I said in the changing room after the game that Jack was the one player who tried to make something happen," Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"We didn't see a lot of our important players play with drive and purpose and imagination. We lacked a bit of trickery, a bit of invention.

"Not everything came off for him but Jack at least made Stevenage think and fear him. Second half, he was the one player who I thought could go unlock it for us.

"He knows that he's got to nail League Two level to be able to go and do it at Sunderland and higher levels."