Swindon Town 0 Harrogate Town 0: Simon Weaver pleased with Sulphurites' response to midweek mauling

The Sulphurites were thrashed 5-1 at Wetherby Road on Tuesday evening and served up a much-improved defensive display down in Wiltshire, while also creating arguably the better chances to win the game.

And manager Simon Weaver was satisfied with the reaction that he got from his players.

"I knew that we would get a response, we’ve got honest lads, there were just a few moments of madness the other night,” he said.

“To travel all the way here and dig in like we did just showed that the lads want to do it right. We gave up the first 30 yards of the pitch so that we were never stretched and we never really looked in trouble.

"We put the miles in and made sure that our shape out of possession was as one, and that’s what we wanted more than anything.

"I think that performance represented what we want to be about. We’re a team and pride was hurt the other night, but I thought that today was a fairer reflection of the personality of the group.

"We wanted to show that we can dig in and respond to a shock to the system and I couldn’t have asked for any more.”

Harrogate created the first opening of note at the County Ground, Jack Muldoon just failing to apply a finishing touch to Toby Sims’ inviting 10th-minute cross from the right.

Swindon threatened just before the half-hour mark, Joel Cotterill drawing a good stop from James Belshaw with a 20-yard strike.

Muldoon was in the thick of it again at the other end following a nice bit of football, nodding Matty Foulds’ left-wing delivery narrowly the wrong side of the upright with 40 minutes on the clock.

Joel McGregor’s shot then hit Swindon team-mate Paul Glatzel when it looked to be heading towards the top corner, before the Robins’ clearest opportunity of the opening period materialised on the stroke of half-time.

Will Wright arrived at the far-post to meet George Cox’s corner from the right, but Anthony O’Connor was on hand to clear expertly off the goal-line.

The second period began with McGregor blasting over Belshaw’s cross-bar from the edge of the box, before Ellis Taylor was off target with an acrobatic attempt for the visitors.

There was however little by way of real excitement after the break, Sulphurites centre-half Jasper Moon making an important block from a Glatzel effort and Cox heading wide of the mark.

Town’s best moment came in the final minute of the regulation 90, substitute Sam Folarin embarking on a fine run from close to halfway before shooting tamely at Dan Barden.

On whether his side did enough to have won the game, Weaver said: “I’m pleased with a point, but it could have been three.

"There were opportunities. With them trying to bring the ball forward it was leaving space in behind and we knew that.

"When Sam came on, his pace upset them and we could have had one or two.”

Saturday’s result keeps Harrogate 18th in the League Two standings with 11 points to their name from their opening 10 matches of the campaign.