Harrogate Town A.F.C.

Harrogate Town
Full name Harrogate Town Association Football Club
Nickname(s) Town
Founded 1914 (1914) (as Harrogate AFC)
Ground Wetherby Road
Capacity 4,000 (500 seated)
Chairman Irving Weaver
Manager Simon Weaver
League National League
2017–18 National League North, 2nd of 22 (promoted via play-offs)
Website Club website

Harrogate Town Association Football Club is a professional association football club based in the spa town of Harrogate, North Yorkshire, England. The club currently competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football, following promotion from the National League North in the 2017–18 season.

Formed in 1914, the club is nicknamed "Town" and also the "Sulphurites", due to Harrogate's fame for its sulphur springs. The club's colours are black and yellow and they play their home games at Wetherby Road, which has a capacity of 4,000.

History

The club was founded as Harrogate A.F.C. in 1914. Previously the town of Harrogate had tried to put together a football team as far back as 1907 but nothing emerged until 1914. They were entered into the Northern League upon their year of founding, and were set to play their home fixtures at the County Ground. However, due to the First World War all fixtures were postponed.

After the First World War ended, a meeting was held around the idea of putting the club back together. A man named Robert Ackrill Breare instigated this, and he later became the secretary of the club. Harrogate were entered into the West Riding League.

Early years

Harrogate finally played in their first competitive fixture on 30 August 1919 at Starbeck Lane Ground against Horsforth. They won the game 1–0 and the scorer was L. Craven with a headed goal. They were entered into the FA Cup the same year losing to South Kirkby Colliery 4–0 in a 1Q replay. Harrogate also won their first trophy, the Whitworth Cup, with a 4–0 victory against Ripon City.

For the 1920–21 season they were one of the founding teams in the new Yorkshire League, yet they also continued to field a team in the West Riding League. The club had relocated to a new ground; Wetherby Road. Around the holiday periods, they took part in friendlies against higher league opposition including Liverpool at their Anfield ground, and another at fellow Yorkshire side Sheffield United in front of 15,000 fans.

They moved league once again for their third season, leaving the West Riding League and moving into the Midland Football League. It included the reserve teams of Nottingham Forest, Sheffield Wednesday and Barnsley. The club remained in the Yorkshire League, fielding a reserve team. However, the club resigned from the Midland's league after only one season and reverting to fielding a first team in the Yorkshire League. The West Riding County Challenge Cup was won by Harrogate in 1925, with their 3–1 victory against Fryston Colliery at Elland Road.

League victory was secured in 1926–27, as Harrogate became the Yorkshire League champions, with Bob Morphet scoring 44 goals. The club then moved into the Northern League. Their second West Riding County Challenge Cup was won the same season against Selby Town. The team disbanded in 1932.

Climbing the pyramid

The town's club was brought back in 1935 as Harrogate Hotspurs. After the Second World War, the club was renamed as Harrogate Town and played in the West Yorkshire League. Harrogate Town joined the Yorkshire League again in 1957. They spent many years in the Yorkshire Leagues during the 1960s and 1970s, and then became a founding member of the new Northern Counties East Football League in 1982. The club was looking to climb the newly instated football pyramid and so began to improve their ground, installing floodlights. They played a friendly to mark the occasion against Leeds United, with Eddie Gray being the first to switch the lights on.

After a West Riding County Cup win in 1986, and five seasons in the Northern Counties East League, they became founding members of the Northern Premier League First Division in 1987–88, after having been invited to join the new league. In 1990 the club became a Limited Company to fund the construction of a new main stand, and in the same year the club won the Northern Premier League First Division Cup. They would spend fifteen seasons in this league, and on two occasions the club only narrowly avoided relegation back to the Northern Counties East League. However, they won promotion to the Premier Division in 2001–02 after finishing as champions. During their first season in that division they finished sixth, and for the first time in the club's history they reached the first round of the FA Cup, losing 5–1 to Farnborough Town of the Football Conference. Town also won the West Riding County Cup in both the 2001–02 and 2002–03 seasons.

Conference

Harrogate Town take on Halifax Town at the Shay in 2016.

After finishing fifth in the Premier Division in 2003–04, the club became founders of the newly established Conference North in 2004. During their FA Cup run in the 2005–06 season, Harrogate were drawn to play away at Torquay United, their first ever cup game against Football League opposition. After drawing 1–1 at Plainmoor, they lost 6–5 on penalties after a 0–0 draw in the replay.[1] At the end of the season the club finished fifth and qualified for the promotion play-offs, but lost 1–0 to eventual winners Stafford Rangers.

At the end of the 2009–10 season the club finished bottom of the Conference North and were due to be relegated. However, after Northwich Victoria were demoted due to financial problems, the club were reprieved.[2]

Before the start of the 2011–12 season, Bill Fotherby handed control of the club to Irving Weaver, father of manager Simon, Tad Nowakowski, father of player Adam, also joined the board to help improve community links. The 2011–12 season ended in a relegation dogfight, Harrogate saved on the last day thanks to a 5–0 away win at Corby.

The 2012–13 season saw the team's best ever run in the FA Cup. On 3 November 2012 they beat League Two team Torquay United 1–0 to go beyond the first round for the first time.[3] They drew Hastings United in the second round. The tie finished 1–1, with a replay being played at Hastings – this tie again finished 1–1, due to a late goal from Harrogate's Tom Platt. However, Harrogate Town lost 5–4 on penalties.

2016–17 season

After a good start placing them in the top five towards the beginning of the season the team went on a long run of bad form. In result of that the manager Simon Weaver and others at the club decided it was time that the players at the end of the season were given full-time contracts to give them the best chance of promotion in the following years if they weren't promoted in the 2016–17 campaign.

Going professional 2017–18 season

Nearing the end of the 2016–17 season the club announced that they would be going full-time next season. This would allow them to develop as a team and hopefully get into a playoff spot. Unfortunately, many players left as the jump up to professionalism wasn't for them. Harrogate town signed multiple midfielders and defenders before their pre-season home match against Leeds United. They began training as a full-time club on 3 July 2017.

On 13 May 2018, they won the National League North playoffs for the 2017–18 season beating Brackley Town in the playoff final earning promotion to the National League.[4]

League history

Ground

Wetherby Road during a match against Bradford Park Avenue in January 2014.

The club play at Wetherby Road, also known as the CNG Stadium for sponsorship purposes. Opened on 28 August 1920, it has a capacity of 4,000 of which 500 is seated.[5] The ground is situated on the A661 Wetherby Road adjacent to Harrogate District Hospital. It now has three stands, one in the north, east and west of the ground and a bar area at the south side which also houses the club's shop and changing rooms along with a hospitality venue in the south-east corner. It is also the home of Harrogate Town's academy who play most of their home games here. On top of that the new 3G pitch can be hired by the local community and so can the 1919 venue for business meetings, weddings and other purposes.

Current squad

As of 20 July 2018[6][7]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Position Player
1 England GK James Belshaw
2 England DF Ryan Fallowfield
3 England DF Ben Parker
4 England MF Josh Falkingham
5 England DF Callum Howe
6 England DF Warren Burrell
7 England MF George Thomson
8 England MF Jack Emmett
9 Scotland FW Mark Beck
10 England FW Dominic Knowles
No. Position Player
11 England MF Joe Leesley
12 England FW Jordan Thewlis
13 England GK Joe Cracknell
14 England MF Liam Agnew
15 England DF Kelvin Langmead
16 England FW Aaron Williams
17 England MF Lloyd Kerry
18 England FW Jack Muldoon
19 England DF Toby Lees
20 England DF Liam Kitching (on loan from Leeds United)

Current staff

Board of Directors

  • Chairman: England Irving Weaver
  • Vice-chairman: England Howard Matthews
  • Managing Director: England Garry Plant
  • Associate director: England Richard Crabb
  • Commercial director: England Ged Maloney
  • Events director: Scotland Angus Taylor

Other staff

  • Club Secretary: England Ben Sadler
  • Life President: England George Dunnington
  • Vice-president 1: England David Batty
  • Vice-president 2: England Dave Callaghan
  • Vice-president 3: England Clive Dunnington
  • Match Secretary: England John Harrison
  • Groundsmen: Jim Hague, Geoff Butler, John Fell, Iain Bullock
  • Club Photographer: Matt Kirkham
  • Media Manager: Hal Boxhall-Dockree

Coaches

  • Manager: England Simon Weaver
  • Assistant Manager: England Paul Thirlwell
  • Coach: EnglandLee Barraclough
  • Physio: England Rachel Davis
  • Sport psychology: EnglandPhil Lee
  • Academy U21s manager: England Josh Falkingham
  • Academy U17s manager: England Josh Walsh
  • Academy secretary: EnglandDave Riley
  • Academy Physio: England Rachel Davis
  • Club scout: England Lee Barraclough

Honours

  • National League North
    • Playoff Final winners 2017-18
  • Northern Premier League
    • Division One champions 2001–02
    • Division One Cup winners 1989–90
  • Yorkshire League
    • Champions 1926–27
    • Division Two champions 1981–82
  • West Riding County Challenge Cup
    • Winners 1925–26, 1926–27, 1962–63, 1972–73, 1985–86, 2001–02, 2002–03, 2007–08
  • Whitworth Cup
    • Winners 1919–20

Records

  • FA Cup best performance: second round proper replay (2012–13)
  • FA Trophy best performance: third round proper replay (1999–2000)
  • FA Vase best performance: fourth round (1989–90)

References

  1. ↑ Harrogate 0–0 Torquay (aet) BBC Sport
  2. ↑ Harrogate Town reprieved from relegation – BBC Sport Website
  3. ↑ BBC Sport – Torquay 0–1 Harrogate Town
  4. ↑ "Harrogate Town win play-off final". Stray FM. 13 May 2018. Retrieved 13 May 2018.
  5. ↑ "Harrogate Town : Weatherby Road". Archived from the original on 31 July 2012.
  6. ↑ "First Team". Harrogate Town A.F.C. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "2018/19 squad numbers announced". Harrogate Town A.F.C. Retrieved 2 July 2018.

Coordinates: 53°59′30.13″N 1°30′52.13″W / 53.9917028°N 1.5144806°W / 53.9917028; -1.5144806

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