Harrogate Town still need to up their defensive game, insists Simon Weaver after FA Cup win over Wrexham AFC

Two goals in the space of six minutes from substitutes Simon Power and Danilo Orsi eventually saw the Sulphurites through to the second round, cancelling out Jordan Ponticelli’s 38th-minute opener.

That goal came somewhat against the run of play, and while Harrogate were by no means on top of their game, they had the lion’s share of possession and looked relatively untroubled at the back prior to falling behind.

But, just as was the case at the same end of the field against Bristol Rovers seven days earlier, Town made a mess of dealing with what was nothing more than a hopeful ball slung into their penalty area.

A week ago, Will Smith and Warren Burrell got in each other’s way as they attempted to deal with a long left-wing diagonal to the back post, meaning that the hosts failed to clear their lines effectively in the first instance.

The ball was then recycled for Glenn Whelan, with Harrogate all at sea for the second phase of the attack, allowing Alfie Kilgour to make first contact and divert the ball across the face of goal.

Despite their being a host of defenders in and around the six-yard box, none of them responded decisively and Nick Anderton was allowed to turn in a scruffy close-range finish which ultimately decided the contest.

On Saturday, history almost repeated itself as another left-wing cross was tossed into the box and Burrell and Aaron Martin went for the same header.

The ball skimmed off the former’s bonce and straight to James Jones, who pinned marker Lewis Page before sending an overhead-kick towards goal.

That effort was allowed to bounce in the six-yard-box, nobody in yellow and black having sensed or reacted to the danger.

And with right-back Nathan Sheron ball-watching and unaware of the presence of Ponticelli behind him, the Red Dragons striker was left with a tap-in almost on the goal-line.

Quite simply, Town have to do better.

"It's another awful goal to concede," manager Simon Weaver admitted.

"If you turn on the TV and watch the League Two goals, a lot are conceded from set-plays or are ugly goals. It wasn't clever movement, that wasn't clever play by Wrexham.

"It was a throw-in, a long ball into the box and everyone is focusing on that first ball and forgetting the second phase - and that is where we have to be better.

"It is as simple as that. We've got to do better because we could have been knocked out of the FA Cup by that, against a team who came to defend and stuck 11 players behind the ball and hoped that a set-piece would go in.

"Even first half, Wrexham saw very little of the football, but we have to be better than conceding a goal like that."

As bad as that moment was, it has to be said that, one under-hit back-pass from Burrell aside, Town actually looked reasonably solid for the majority of Saturday’s contest.

And, when Wrexham laid siege to their goal at the death and really piled on the pressure as they went in search of an equaliser, the hosts stood tall and saw the game out with Burrell and Connor Hall very much to the fore as defenders put bodies on the line.

"I would like us to have squeezed up a bit, it was a bit like a training exercise the last two or three minutes, waiting for the next ball to be banged in to the box, but there were some courageous headers by Warren and Connor, to name a couple," Weaver added.

"We really came good in those moments to keep the ball out of the back of the net."