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HARROGATE TOWN AFC OFFICIAL MATCHDAY PROGRAMME

NEWPORT COUNTY

SATURDAY JANUARY 30, 2021 THE ENVIROVENT STADIUM 3PM KICK OFF

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Harrogate Town Football Club The Envirovent Stadium, Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG2 7SA Tel: 01423 210600 Email: enquiries@harrogatetownafc.com BOARD Chairman Vice Chairman Managing Director Directors Associate Director Strategy Director Finance Director Life President Vice Presidents

Irving Weaver Howard Matthews Garry Plant Angus Taylor Dave Riley Mike Partridge Paul Stone Julian Davis George Dunnington Clive Dunnington David Batty

FOOTBALL First Team Manager: Simon Weaver Assistant Manager: Paul Thirlwell Goalkeeper Coach: Phil Priestley Chief Scout: Lee Barraclough Head Physiotherapist: Rachel Davis Assistant Physiotherapist: Cyra Smith Sports Psychologist: Phil Lee Fitness Coach: Darren Simpson

5 CONTENTS

OPERATIONS General Manager: Ben Sadler Community Development: Iain Service Tom Blackburn Youth Development: Josh Falkingham Josh Walsh Child Welfare & Safeguarding: Dave Riley Supporters’ Liaison Officer: Phill Holdsworth Facilities Manager: Ady Fletcher Head Groundsman: Iain Bullock 1919 Venue Managers: Tricia Lightfoot Hamilton Mattock Retail Manager Claire Kontominas Club Chaplain: Rob Brett MEDIA Media Manager: Hal Boxhall-Dockree Photographer: Matt Kirkham Matchday Programme: Rich Saltmarsh Media Assistants: Brody Pattison Danny Pugsley Henry Whitaker PA Announcer Alan Tootill

The parent company of Harrogate Town Football Club is Harrogate Town AFC Limited, and the ultimate controlling party of Harrogate Town AFC Limited is Strata Homes, of whom R.I. Weaver is the significant shareholder. Strata Homes owns 80% share in Harrogate Town Football Club. Company registration no. 2523873.

5 Manager’s Notes 7 Captain’s Notes 8 Match Action: Exeter City / Salford City / Tranmere Rovers 14 Ed Francis Interview 20 This Week in Town’s History 22 Harry’s Challenge 25 Meet the Opposition: Newport County 30 Us v Them 32 The Ex-Files 34 Community Foundation 36 Results and Fixtures 38 Squad & Management Team 42 Next at Home 44 Today’s Teams TOWN MATCHDAY PROGRAMME Editor & Designer: Rich Saltmarsh Contributors: Henry Whitaker, Phil Harrison, Rich Saltmarsh, Hal Boxhall-Dockree, Iain Service, Simon Weaver, Josh Falkingham Photography: Matt Kirkham Printed by: JJ Sports Promotions Ltd

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MANAGER’S NOTES

T HE M A N AG ER

SIMON WEAVER GOOD AFTERNOON and I hope everyone at home is safe and well. I would like to extend my welcome to Mike Flynn, his staff and players who have made the trip across from South Wales to North Yorkshire today.

we’re not used to and it cost us massively. We played well with confidence and energy so it makes it all the more frustrating to concede the goals in the way we did. But we’ve dusted ourselves down and move on to Newport today.

The point at Salford last Friday was good for confidence and it felt like a win in the immediate aftermath after scoring in the 93rd minute. The atmosphere in the changing room afterwards and on the bus home was great, however, when the emotions had died down, we were able to reflect as there were elements that aren’t quite there yet, but the energy which is our trademark is definitely back, which is really pleasing.

Newport are another experienced team and have been in the upper reaches of the table all season, so will provide another stern test. In the reverse fixture in October we were close to gaining what would have been a fantastic point away from home, despite being a man down for the majority of the game. After getting back on level terms, we fought so hard, limited them to only half-chances and still tried to win the game but ironically were the one’s on the receiving end of a late goal, so unfortunately left empty-handed.

We knew Tuesday night was going to be a battle against a physical Tranmere side. We got a firm hold of the game early on and took the game to them, scored the goal and were really in the ascendency before the penalty which was a game changer. You can always tell from the reaction of the players what their thoughts were on the penalty being given! That being said, we were still confident coming out for the second half, so it was bitterly disappointing to concede two goals so quickly and hand them the initiative, particularly from corners. We need to sort that quickly as conceding from set plays is something

The incoming players have brought a fresh edge to training and games and that larger squad means players are now able to take a rest and we can rotate it round a bit as the aim is to sustain high energy levels for the 90 minutes which we did last Friday and on Tuesday night and will aim to do again this afternoon. Enjoy the game.

Simon 5

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CAPTAIN’S NOTES

T HE C A P TA I N

JOSH FALKINGHAM WE COME INTO TODAY’S GAME off the back of a solid performance against Exeter City in our last home match and we’ve taken four out of a possible six points against them, which is a great return, especially as we had to battle with 10 men last week. The break in games allowed us to have a bit of respite and it’s probably been good for us physically. Mentally we haven’t switched off but it’s allowed us to have a bit of a breather and give our legs a short break. We’ve had three tough games recently - two against top seven sides Exeter and Salford as well as the defeat to Tranmere on Tuesday which was disappointing. However, those games were more like ‘us’ and getting back to what we’re about in terms of fight, energy and identity. At this time of year there’s going to be scrappy games and although we’ve been used to dominating games in terms of possession, in the last few games we’ve played well without having as much of the the ball. We picked up two points but with the chances we created, it could so easily have been nine. We’re still learning with every game and we know if we start taking more of these chances, it’ll shoot us right up the table. Football is won by putting the ball into the net

and creating the big opportunities in front of goal. If it does mean we have less of the ball, then so be it. We want to pick up points first and foremost. Newport are a top side and it’s going to be a really tough afternoon. They have quality who’ll look to dominate possession, but we’ve just got to stick to what we know and make sure that we take the opportunities that come our way. The game at their place was a learning curve for me as getting sent off isn’t something that’s happened to me too often in my career. In the heat of the moment, things like that can happen and it’s something I hope I don’t do again. That feeling of sitting in the changing room when the lads still have to put a shift in is horrible. I’ve had bad feelings when coming off injured but it’s different when it’s through punishment. But as I said, as long as we create the chances, it’ll boost confidence and then the goals should come. It’s funny in football how quickly things can suddenly go your way. We’ve got to keep building, putting points on the board and then see where it takes us.

Falks 7

VS.

EXETER CITY TUESDAY 19 JANUARY 2021 THE ENVIROVENT STADIUM KICK OFF 7PM

0 0 Town Belshaw, Williams (Fallowfield 76), Burrell ■ ■, Hall, Lawlor, Falkingham, Francis, Thomson, Martin, Muldoon (March 83), Kiernan (Kirby 79) Unused subs: Hondermarck, McPake, Minter Exeter City Maxted, Caprice, Atangana (Law 82), Collins, Bowman, Randall (Seymour, 86), Parkes, Jay, Page (Hartridge 82), Sweeney, Key (Sparkes 63) Unused subs: McArdle, Kite, Ward

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

ACTION REPLAY

MATCH STATS ■ TOWN ■ EXETER POSSESSION %

64 TOTAL SHOTS

13 SHOTS ON TARGET

1 PASSES

281

470 FOULS

9 CORNERS

2 OFFSIDES

0 YELLOW CARDS

0 RED CARDS

VS.

SALFORD CITY FRIDAY 22 JANUARY 2021 THE PENINSULA STADIUM KICK OFF 7PM

2 Gotts 21’, Thomas-Asante 70’

2 Muldoon 38’, Franics 93’ Salford City Hladky ■, James ■ (Clarke 56), Touray ■, Lowe ■, Hunter (Thomas-Asante 56), Bernard, Burgess (Coutts 56), Turnbull, Threlkeld (Towell 56), Gotts, Henderson Unused subs: Evans, Eastham, Andrade Town Belshaw, Williams, Francis, Hall, Lawlor, Falkingham, Thomson, Kiernan (Power 74) Martin, Muldoon (March 74), McPake Unused subs: Hondermarck, Kirby, Lokko, Minter

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

ACTION REPLAY

MATCH STATS ■ SALFORD ■ TOWN POSSESSION %

39 TOTAL SHOTS

14 SHOTS ON TARGET

5 PASSES

529

354 FOULS

9 CORNERS

4 OFFSIDES

1 YELLOW CARDS

0 RED CARDS

VS.

TRANMERE ROVERS TUESDAY 26 JANUARY 2021 PRENTON PARK KICK OFF 7PM

3 Vaughan 36’(p), 53’, Woolery 51’

2 McPake 25’, March 72’ Tranmere Davies, Monthe, Spearing, Vaughan ■ (Ray 93), Woolery (Morris 72), Khan, Macdonald ■, Feeney (Ferrier 93), Lewis ■, Clarke, Lloyd (Ridehalgh 73) Unused subs: Murphy, O’Connor, Kirby Town Belshaw, Francis, Burrell, Hall ■ ■, Lawlor, Falkingham, Thomson, Kiernan (Power 60) Martin, Muldoon (March 60), McPake Unused subs: Hondermarck, Kirby, Williams, Minter

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

ACTION REPLAY

MATCH STATS ■

TRANMERE ■ TOWN POSSESSION %

45 TOTAL SHOTS

15 SHOTS ON TARGET

6 PASSES

382

318 FOULS

14 CORNERS

6 OFFSIDES

3 YELLOW CARDS

1 RED CARDS

PLAYER IN FOCUS

Ed Francis

AN ENGLAND YOUTH INTERNATIONAL, A GRADUATE OF THE MANCHESTER CITY ACADEMY, A FORMER WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS U23S CAPTAIN, AND NOW HARROGATE TOWN MAESTRO. THIS IS JUST THE START OF ED FRANCISâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; FOOTBALLING CAREER... By Henry Whitaker

ED FRANCIS AGE: 21 DOB: 11.09.1999 BIRTHPLACE: POYNTON SIGNED FROM: WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (DEC 2020) 2020/21 LEAGUE TWO APPEARANCES: 7

“ IT WAS A BIT OVERWHELMING, TO BE HONEST, AND I WAS BLOWN AWAY BY PEP’S PRESENCE, HE’S SO INTENSE BUT YOU’D SWEAR BY EVERY WORD HE SAID. I JUST STAYED QUIET AND TRIED TO LEARN AS MUCH AS I COULD...” ED FRANCIS

BORN JUST SOUTH OF MANCHESTER, Francis was scooped up by the Manchester City academy at the age of just six. Technically gifted, Francis’ standout ability at such a young age had him earn his first youth contract at nine years old, and he would stay with the Cityzens for a further 11 years. In the early days of his City career, Francis and his teammates were part of a typical youth set up for a Premier League club, but this was before the “Money and Pep era” as Francis describes it. Heavy investment and the creation of the Etihad Campus revolutionised City’s approach and took the Manchester club to “another level”. “I remember it looking like a big spaceship,” Francis explains. “No academy I had been to or played at compared. Everything was done for us.” Manchester City meant business and did whatever they could to help their youngsters become better footballers. At the age of 13, 16

Francis and his teammates were all put into the same private school where they had lessons in the morning before being taken to the Etihad Campus for an afternoon of football. Francis was told at 14-years-old that he would be given a one year scholar and then a three-year professional contract once he turned sixteen. However, that news was no distraction to the youngster who was just focused on playing football. “The decision to go through the process was a no brainer for me. It was such a good opportunity and playing football every day is something I wanted to do since I can remember.” The £200 million training complex is designed to create a pathway to the first team for the next generation. Francis would train on pitches just a crossfield pass away from the first team and even at a young age, had everything a first-team pro could dream of. He regularly played in what he calls

ED FRANCIS

the ‘Minihad’, the 7,000 seater stadium based in the campus which helps prepare the players for their next steps. Francis admits that it was “almost too easy” with everything done for the youngsters, but a determined lad from Cheshire wasn’t going to let his drive and passion deteriorate.

everything possible to help me get where I am now. It just gives me that extra motivation. He’s flown to probably 30 different countries to watch me play a game of football and then he travels straight back. It’s things like that gave me the extra drive and dedication.”

At 17, Francis was progressing well, having captained his youth side from under 11s onwards. His team was full of players who are now taking the game by storm, including England internationals, Phil Foden and Jadon Sancho. City’s youth captain and Foden had both joined the academy at the same time and they would go on to spend 10 years together. Sancho joined the ranks at the age of 14, with Francis admitting he “used to let him do all the work” down the left when they played together.

At 17, Francis began to get involved with City’s first team, taking part in sessions at a time when City were flying under Pep Guardiola. The squad was full of big hitters, including Vincent Kompany, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. To grace the pitch with just one of those would be a career highlight for many footballers, but for Francis, it was becoming normality.

“There were big characters in the team like Sancho and Foden, and I always thought I led them quite well and I never shirked the responsibility. You can say I’m partly responsible for them going on to do so well,” Francis laughs. “At the age of 12, Foden had been picked out from the academy as one they wanted to really do well. They did a lot to help him get there and at 16 years old, was the only one from our age group to go on tour with the first team. From there, he ripped it up against Manchester United and has done ever since. He’s not the only one to go on and do well though, we had Tyrese Campbell, who is now at Stoke doing really well and Joel Latibeaudiere, used to partner me at centre back, he’s now at Swansea.”

“It was a bit overwhelming, to be honest, and I was blown away by Pep’s presence, he’s so intense but you’d swear by every word he said. I just stayed quiet and tried to learn as much as I could.” Francis continues, “When Pep is walking about it’s a bit surreal but it’s about getting stuck in and taking the opportunity. I found that Raheem Sterling was really good with the younger lads and so was Vincent Kompany. I would play at centre back with Jon Stones, learning from him. It felt out of this world when the lads went out of their way to speak to me.”

During his time in City’s youth set-up, Francis travelled across Europe to play in the UEFA Youth League and was now beginning to get a taste of what it was like to become a professional footballer.One game which stands out to Francis is an away trip to Dynamo Kiev in Ukraine but it wasn’t to do with the performance or result; but more the support shown by his dad, who had travelled to the country in the middle of winter to watch his son play. “My dad has been massive for me and he goes to absolutely every game. I remember we had already qualified top of the group for the game in Kiev, it was snowing and I just remember him standing there watching on from the side-lines. He just loves watching me play and would do anything for me, and has done 17

“It was the first time in my career where I had to deal with disappointment and not being picked for games, which is the toughest part of anyone’s career,” Francis admits. “You see so many lads not come back from that type of setback but I wasn’t going to let that happen to me. I do give myself credit for moving to Holland on my own at 18, living in an apartment just outside Amsterdam. So many things could have gone wrong but I made it back in one piece. It was a difficult environment that has built me to where I am today.” After returning to England, Francis planned on another loan move but having not played many minutes in the previous six months, he struggled to attract the attention of suitable clubs. Then, in January 2019, Francis and his agent began talks with Wolves about a potential move.

As a City fan, it meant that little bit more to Francis but as he got older, he found himself looking at ways to break into the first team rather than wishing them well from the other side of a TV screen. From the age of 15, Francis had been impressing with England’s youth teams, playing across the world in Euros and World Championships. It’s a huge stage to play on but one which attracts the attention of the top clubs. Francis has always found playing for England a “great honour” but also an opportunity to show managers that he’s ready for first-team football. That chance came following a year with City’s under 23s team when the gifted 18-year-old was sent out on loan to Dutch side Almere City in the Eerste Divisie for the 2018/19 season. With Francis wanting to move into midfield, it was thought Dutch football would suit the English man but the loan move didn’t go to plan. That pre-season, Francis had been competing with England’s under 19’s team and came into pre-season finding himself lower down in the pecking order. Almere also had a strong start to the season and it meant Francis couldn’t force his way into their plans. By October, Francis had accepted that his time in Holland was near an end but believes that the loan was hugely beneficial for himself. 18

Signing for the Wanderers permanently and seeing the likes of Morgan Gibbs-White given the chance in the first team, Francis saw the move as a “good opportunity” to do the same. He originally went into the under 23s setup and shone, captaining the side on several occasions and winning the PL2 division on the final day of the 2018/19 season. It led to the midfielder training with the first team in every session, pinging the ball around with the likes of 2016 UEFA European Championship winner, João Moutinho. Next season, Francis went on Wolves’ preseason tour to China in what he describes as an “unbelievable experience”. It gave him a taste of what the future could be like if he made it to the top. Having made more good strides, Francis’ progress then halted as an ankle injury at the end of pre-season kept him on the side-lines for three months. It meant the opportunity to break into the Wolves squad was slender and when January came around, Francis went on loan to Swiss side, Grasshoppers. It started well but after a month, Covid hit… It meant that the Brit abroad now had to scramble to try to get back to the UK. “I was starting to think I was going to be stuck in Switzerland for six months; I had three flights booked across England to make sure I made it home.”

ED FRANCIS

With no football to play for the foreseeable future, Francis found himself playing a lot of FIFA, a game he says he’s “actually decent at.” A tournament involving the first team and fans saw Francis come up against now Liverpool star Diogo Jota in the final but ended up on the losing side despite taking an early lead, a result he’s still fuming with now.

“Getting the signing done was a bit of a whirlwind,” Francis explains. “The Gaffer rang me on the Sunday wanting me to be eligible for the Tuesday night against Exeter. I signed the contract Sunday night and then got on the bus at Chesterfield the next day. When Falky [Falkingham] got injured, I came on and that was my opportunity really. To get the win that night definitely helped me settle in.”

When this season began, Francis was still a Wolves player but knew the chance he needed wasn’t going to come his way. He made the bold decision to ask for Wolves to pay up the remainder of his contract and become a free agent, hoping that would entice a club to take him on. In Francis’ mind, that call wasn’t a risk as he had planned to move down the divisions to then work his way back up. He spent a month with Luton Town on trial and impressed manager Nathan Jones. However, he couldn’t be guaranteed minutes on the pitch and that was now the key thing for Francis.

Since the Exeter game, Francis has been an ever-present, making himself a key cog in the Town machine. The midfielder scored his first professional goal against Salford this month and Francis hopes that he can now help Simon Weaver’s side establish themselves as a Football League club.

Harrogate came in and it was the perfect opportunity for the 21-year-old to get some valuable minutes and experience. The move happened very quickly for the former City man and he was thrown into the deep end straight away.

“I’m just giving it my all on the pitch and I think there’s a lot more to come from me, which is exciting. We’ve got a strong squad and I feel like the opportunities are coming now. From a personal perspective, the ideal scenario is that I stay at Harrogate and take them to the Premier League and grow with the club, that’s the dream right now. And in the short term, I just take it game by game and not get too carried away with performances and results. I want to stay with Harrogate for as long as possible. Things are going very well at the moment so I don’t see a need for change.”

THIS WEEK IN TOWN’S HISTORY KEY MOMENTS FROM THIS WEEK OVER THE YEARS by Phil Harrison Club Historian

In 2016 Town went down 4-3 at FC United of Manchester despite leading 3-0 at one stage through goals from Brendan Daniels, Lloyd Kerry and Joe Colbeck in front of a crowd of 3,362 - the largest Town played in front of that season. JANUARY

In 1948 Town entertained Leeds University in a West Yorkshire League Cup first round tie and won 8-3 thanks to goals from Liggins (3,) Hardy (2), Smith, Hewitt and Lund. Geoff Lund was with the club from 1939-59 making 324 appearances captaining the side from 1947-57.

Joe Colbeck

JANUARY

In 1957 Town came away with a 4-2 win from Yorkshire Amateur Reserves in a West Yorkshire League game with goals from Cooper, Harrison and Derek Passman (2) who finished top scorer that season with 19 goals from 26 games. FEBRUARY

Geoff Lund

In 1951 in another West Yorkshire League Division One game at home to East End Park, Town thrashed the visitors 10-1 with goals from Ross (4), Hardy (4) and Balmforth (2). FEBRUARY

Dom Balmforth made 116 appearances for Town between 1949-57, scoring 42 goals. In 1984 Town returned from Garforth Miners with a 2-1 victory in the Northern Counties East League Division One (North) thanks to goals from Ferebee and Mick Margis who finished top scorer with 13 goals for the third consecutive season. This was a fifth successive win in a run of nine games undefeated.

Dom Balmforth

FEBRUARY

Jack Atha

In 1947 Town won 5-1 at East End Park in a West Yorkshire League game, courtesy of goals from Liggins (2), Annakin, Soullier and Jack Atha, who spent two seasons at Town playing 40 games. FEBRUARY

In 2013 Town’s home game against Workington in the Conference North was played at York City’s Bootham Crescent, due to pitch problems at Wetherby Road. Town won the game 3-1 with two goals from Dominic Knowles and one from Lee Elam.

FEBRUARY

Dom Knowles

Mick Margis

Plasmor proud to support Harrogate Town AFC throughout the season

New League ... New Goals ... and What a Finish from Plasmor In 1990 Town reached their furthest point in the FA Vase but failed to reach the last 16 with a 3-1 loss at home to high-flying NPL Premier Division side Bridlington Town who went on to reach the Final. Harrogate’s scorer that day was Stuart Ferebee. JANUARY

In 2017 Town drew 2-2 at FC United of Manchester in the Vanarama National League North in front of 2,367 spectators with a debut goal from Rotherham loanee Kuda Muskwe and one from Tom Platt. Both teams were mid table. JANUARY

In 1927 Harrogate AFC beat Altofts WRC 3-2 away with goals from Morphet, Howson and W. Jackson. Town’s keeper that day was Harold Gough, the former Sheffield United player (242 apps) who won an FA Cup Final medal with them in 1915 after they beat Chelsea 3-0 in the Final and was an England International (one cap). This was his only season with the club turning out 13 times then returned to league football with Bolton Wanderers.

Look out for our team of BUILDING BLOCKS and BLOCK PAVING in a winning range of finishes

JANUARY

www.plaspave.co.uk Harold Gough

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y r r a H n a f n w o T g n u Yo raises over £12,000 SEVEN-YEAR-OLD TOWN FAN, Harry Wickham dedicated his Christmas holidays to running 50km for charity and has now raised more than £12,000 and the money is still coming in. Harry decided to undertake the challenge to raise £500 for the Candlelighters charity, which supports families of children with cancer, after his cousin Rosie was diagnosed with a spinal tumour in May. Since then, Rosie has had two major spinal surgeries and is now undergoing a gruelling 18 month course of chemotherapy and has been supported by Candlelighters throughout. Harry’s mum Sarah said the family has been blown away by the support and inspired by Harry’s determination. She said “He did amazingly and we are so incredibly proud of him. It was not easy but he really enjoyed it and kept going. Some days it was very windy or wet or cold - sometimes it was even snowing - but he didn’t complain, he just got on with it. He had lots of support from family and friends who ran with him and cheered him on along the way. We are totally overwhelmed and he has blown the target completely out of the water.” Despite the difficult weather conditions, Harry was determined to complete the challenge, even running on Christmas Day! He was inspired by rugby league legend Kevin Sinfield’s recent efforts, in which he ran seven marathons in seven days for the Motor Neurone Disease Association. People have been showing their support for Harry throughout his challenge, coming out into the streets to cheer him on. On hearing about Harry’s 22

challenge, Town players, staff and fans were quick to show their support for his achievement. Rosie’s mum Helen said the difference the money will make to the Candlelighters charity - who can fund all Child Talking Therapies for a month for £1,000 - is incredible. She has thanked Harry for his efforts and the community for coming together for such a good cause. She said: “We just cannot believe how much money has been raised and how big this has become. The support has been fantastic. We have had some very difficult times with Rosie and her treatments, there have been weeks where she has been very sick, but this has been a great distraction for all of us. Rosie doesn’t fully understand what is going on but every time she sees Harry on TV or in pictures, she claps and shouts ‘Go Harry’. We just can’t thank Harry, the rest of our family and everyone who has donated enough for all their help.” On his achievement Harry said: “I really enjoyed the challenge but it was hard some days like when it rained. I loved running with my friends Edward, Jake, Oliver, Drew and Logan on different days, it was really fun. My brother George was my biggest fan, he supported me every day. I’m so happy to have raised so much money for Candlelighters.” A huge well done Harry from everyone at Town. If you would like to support Harry, please visit his JustGiving page at https://justgiving.com/ fundraising/sarah-wickham6

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Harry with Rosie

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TODAY’S OPPOSITION

NEWPORT COUNTY

THE CLUB began life in 1912 in the Southern League before being invited to become founder members of the English Football League Third Division in 1920. They failed re-election in 1931 but were elected back into the League the following year. The second World War meant that they had to wait until the 1946–47 season to take their place in the Second Division and they were relegated at the end of that campaign.

In the 1980s, Newport suffered financial difficulties, with a double relegation costing them their EFL place in 1988, ending the original Newport’s 60-season stay in the Football League, however, in February 1989, the Club was wound up and expelled from the Conference. A group of 400 supporters reformed the Club in 1989 and were admitted to the Hellenic League, four leagues below the Football League. The reformed club were initially unable to play at their home ground, so picked up the nickname of the Exiles. They won the Hellenic League in 1989–90, and in the 1995, when they returned to Rodney Parade, were promoted to the Southern League Premier Division.

In 1999 the ‘County’ moniker was reinstated, and in 2004 Newport took their place in the inaugural Conference South season. It wasn’t until 2010 they returned to the Conference, and the late Justin Edinburgh lead them back to the Football League beating Wrexham 2-0 in the 2013 play-off final. After 14th and ninth place finishes, Newport were threatened with relegation before Mike Flynn saved them in 2016-17, and from there they have gone from strength to strength. Impressive cup runs and a play-off final in 2018-19 since have earned Newport a reputation, and with the start they have made this term, the Exiles have a great chance of returning to the third tier for the first time since 1987. In this season’s reverse fixture in late October, Town were undone by a late Brandon Cooper winner after Will Smith had cancelled out Pádraig Amond’s opener, despite Town playing the majority of the game with 10 men after the sending off of captain Josh Falkingham in the 37th minute.

POSITION

POINTS

FOUNDED 1912 REFORMED 1989

NICKNAME The Exiles

RODNEY PARADE Capacity 7,850

RECORD SCORER Reg Parker - 99 (1948-54)

RECORD APPEARANCES Len Weare - 526 (1955-70)

RECORD TRANSFER FEE PAID £80k Alan Waddle To Swansea City 1980 RECORD TRANSFER FEE RECEIVED £500K+ Conor Washington From Peterborough United in Jan 2014

THE EXILES PLAYING SQUAD BETWEEN THE STICKS

in 2013. He joined Bristol Rovers for the 2104-15 campaign in the Conference and made almost 140 appearances for the Pirates in his five-season spell there.

1. Tom King

Signing for The Exiles in June 2019 after five years at Millwall, the 25-year-old impressed in tha recent FA Cup loss to Brighton and Hove Albion and kept his place for the league games against Salford City and Cheltenham Town, a game in which he scored from his own goal kick. A strike confirmed by Guinness World Records as the longest goal of all time at 96.01m. Whilst at Millwall he had loan spells at Welling United, Braintree Town, Stevenage and AFC Wimbledon, whilst he has also represented England at U16 and U17 level and received his first call-up to the Wales senior squad in November 2019.

30. Nick Townsend

Signing for Newport in August 2018 from Barnsley, the former Birmingham City trainee didn’t manage to make a first team appearance for The Blues but had loan spells at Oxford United in 2013 and two loan spells at Lincoln City where he made 31 appearances before returning to St Andrew’s and captaining the Blues development side to a Birmingham Senior Cup trophy in 2015. After that success he joined Barnsley on loan before making the deal permanent in September 2015 but with only 17 appearances for the Tykes over three years, joined Solihull Moors on loan in 2017 before being released in 2018.

AT THE BACK 2. Ashley Baker

Joining in January 2020 from Sheffield Wednesday, the 24-year-old began his career in Cardiff City’s youth setup 26

15. David Longe-King

Tom King

Joining in August 2020 from National League South outfit St Albans City, the 25-yearold has made 195 non-league appearances, but this campaign is his first season in the EFL. Longe-King also represented England C in June 2019.

17. Scot Bennett and after his release in 2017, signed his first pro deal with Sheffield Wednesday. He went on to make 12 Championship appearances for The Owls before joining Newport. He has represented Wales at Under-19 and Under-21 level.

3. Ryan Haynes

Signing from Shrewsbury Town in July 2019, the 25-year-old began his career at Coventry City and made his pro debut in April 2013 before going on to make 78 appearances for the Sky Blues in his six years there. Whilst at Coventry he had a loan spell at Cambridge United before joining League One Shrewsbury Town in June 2018.

Joining the club in June 2016 from Notts County, the 30-year-old has made nearly 150 league appearances for Newport. A product of the much-respected Exeter City youth academy where he spent seven seasons and made over 130 appearances, he moved to League Two Notts County in May 2015 and joined Newport on loan in October 2015 and then York City on loan in March 2016 before heading to South Wales permanently.

12. Daniel Leadbitter

Signing for Newport in June 2019 after being released by Bristol Rovers, the 30-yearold was on a season-long loan at Yeovil Town before being recalled earlier this month having made 11 appearances for the Glovers. Leadbitter is a product of the Newcastle United youth system having joined at the age of nine but left for Torquay United in 2011 and then moved to Hereford United

Mickey Demetriou

TODAY’S OPPOSITION

Signing in January 2017 from Shrewsbury Town, the 30-year-old began his career at Worthing and Bognor Regis Town before joining Glenn Hoddle’s Academy in Spain. On returning to England, he joined Eastbourne Borough in January 2011 and then Kidderminster in the June making over 100 appearances whilst at Aggborough. He then made the step up to the EFL in June 2014 joining Shrewsbury Town. After a loan spell at Cambridge United he joined Newport and has now racked up over 150 appearances for the Exiles.

32. Liam Shephard

Signing for Newport in September 2020 from Forest Green Rovers, the 26-year-old came through Swansea City’s academy and signed his first pro deal with the club at the start of the 2013–14 season. Shephard had three loan spells at Yeovil Town before being released by the Swans and signing for Peterborough United in July 2017 where he made 24 League One appearances before signing for Forest Green Rovers in June

Mike Flynn

Appointed: March 2017 Age: 40 Mike Flynn was appointed as Newport manager late in the 2016-17 season, tasked with keeping The Exiles - 11 points adrift at the bottom of League Two - in the Football League which he managed with victory against Notts County on the last day of the season. The Welshman has a long-standing relationship with Newport both as a player and now as manager. Flynn’s playing career started with Newport in the late 1990s, and after a spell with Barry Town the midfielder moved to Wigan Athletic. He had further spells with Gillingham, Blackpool, Huddersfield Town and Bradford City before returning to Rodney Parade to become a Newport player for the third time in 2012 and playing in the squad that won promotion back to the Football League in 2013. The 40-year-old’s association with the Club continued with roles as a Coach, Academy Manager, Club Ambassador and Football and Business Development Director, before he was appointed caretaker manager then permanent manager in 2017.

2018. After 67 appearances for the Green Army in his two-year spell there, he joined Newport in the Summer.

THE ENGINE ROOM 4. Joss Labadie - Captain

Joss Labadie

IN THE DUGOUT

28. Mickey Demetriou

Club captain Joss Labadie is now in his fifth season at Newport after joining in 2016 following his release from Dagenham & Redbridge. His career started in the academy at West Bromwich Albion, from where he had loan spells at Shrewsbury Town, Cheltenham Town and Tranmere Rovers

before being released in 2010. He then joined Tranmere permanently and spent two years there before spells with Notts County and Torquay United. He joined The Daggers in 2014 and was voted Player of the Season in 2015-16 before linking up with Newport in July 2016. He has since gone on to make a century of appearances for the Exiles.

7. Robbie Willmott Now in his second spell with the club, the 30-year-old’s career began at Cambridge United coming up through The 27

Josh Sheehan

10. Josh Sheehan

Signing for County in January 2018 after a successful loan the previous season, the 25-year old’s career started in Swansea City’s academy at the age of 10 before signing his first pro contract with them in 2012. After just one League Cup appearance for the Swans and two loan spells at Yeovil Town and then Newport County for the 2016-17 season, he joined the Exiles on a permanent basis in early 2018. Now with over 100 appearances for County, he was voted ‘Player of the Year’ last season and has represented Wales at U19 and U21 level.

8. Matty Dolan

Joining County in June 2017 following a very successful two seasons at Yeovil Town, the 27-year-old began his career at Middlesbrough and after loan spells at Yeovil Town, Hartlepool United and Bradford City, signed permanently for the Bantams in May 2014. After a further loan at Hartlepool, he signed for Yeovil Town in July 2015 and went on to make 77 appearances for the Glovers before moving to Wales. 28

Signing this week on loan from AFC Wimbledon for the rest of the season, the 20-yearold midfielder came through the Wombles’ academy ranks before progressing through to the first team and has now made 110 appearances for them.

21. Lewis Collins

A product of the Newport County academy, the 19-yearold made his first team debut in November 2017 in the EFL Trophy and signed a pro contract with the club in May 2019. Collins has represented Wales at U17, U19 and U21 level.

24. Jack Evans

16. Luke Gambin U’s Academy, scoring 19 goals in 108 games before joining Luton Town. Two years later, he re-signed for Cambridge before joining Newport for the first time in January 2013 and playing a vital role in County’s National League play-off promotion winning season until his release at the start of the 2015/16 season. After three years away with spells at Ebbsfleet United, Eastleigh, Bishops Stortford and Chelmsford City, he re-signed for County in May 2017 and has amassed over 200 appearances in two spells at Newport.

20. Anthony Hartigan

Signing earlier this month on loan from Colchester United, the Maltese international began his senior career in League Two with Barnet and spent six seasons with the Bees before moving to Luton Town in January 2017 where he helped the Hatters win promotion to League One. Following a season-long loan at Crawley Town, the 27-year-old made the switch to Colchester in June 2019 and was a mainstay in the U’s side last season that reached the play-off semi-finals.

Matty Dolan

The 22-year-old signed from Swansea City earlier this month having spent the first half of the season on loan with Cypriot club Pafos. Evans, a product of Swansea’s academy, where he made one senior appearance in the EFL Cup has represented Wales at U19, U20 and U21 level.

UP TOP 9. Pádraig Amond

Signing in August 2017 from Hartlepool United, the muchtravelled 32-year-old began his career at his hometown club Shamrock Rovers and continued to play in Ireland before venturing to Portugal in 2010 where he made 17 substitute appearances for Paços de Ferreira in the Primeira Liga. After a seasonlong loan at Accrington Stanley he was signed permanently by Accy the following season. From there he moved to Morecambe in August 2013, then Grimsby Town in July 2015 and Hartlepool in June 2016 before heading to Wales. Now in his fourth season at Rodney Parade, he has made over 175 appearances and scored 58 times for the Exiles.

TODAY’S OPPOSITION

11. Tristan Abrahams

Now in his second season with County after his release from Norwich City in July 2019, the 21-year-old frontman began his career at Leyton Orient in November 2016, moving immediately on loan to Cambridge City in the Southern League. Upon his return to Orient, Abrahams was put straight into the first-team and his performances led to Norwich City - then in the Championship - purchasing his services. Building up further experience with loans at Exeter City and Yeovil Town, the striker scored five times in 38 appearances across both spells before moving to South Wales.

Tristan Abrahams

22. Kevin Ellison

27. Jake Scrimshaw

The Exiles’ third signing of the January transfer window joining on loan from AFC Bournemouth, the 20-year-old spent the first half of the season on loan at Walsall making 16 appearances for the Saddlers. The striker joined Bournemouth in 2015 and has also had loan spells with Poole Town and Eastleigh, playing against Town in the FA Trophy last season at Wetherby Road.

Ellison signed for Newport in September. The experienced striker has represented fourteen clubs across all four tiers of English football over the course of his career, making in excess of 680 appearances including Leicester City, Stockport County, Chester City, Hull City, Tranmere Rovers, Rotherham United and most recently Morecambe where the 41-yearold spent nine years and played 388 times whilst netting 88 goals before leaving the Shrimps in the summer.

29. Ryan Taylor

Signing in August 2020 from Plymouth Argyle, the 32-year-old began his career at Rotherham United making over 150 appearances for the Millers before spells at Bristol City, Portsmouth, Oxford United and then Plymouth with over 320 career appearances to his name and 51 goals. Taylor made 98 appearances during his time at Plymouth, twice winning promotion to League One after joining the club in January 2017.

26. Owen Windsor

Signing on loan earlier this month from West Bromwich Albion for the rest of the season, the 19-year-old spent the first half of the season at Grimsby Town, netting twice in 13 appearances for the Mariners. After playing youth football for Swindon Town and Southampton,[5] Windsor began his senior career with Cirencester Town before joining the Baggies in June 2019.

RECENT LINE-UP v Oldham Athletic (A) L2-3 Saturday, 23 January 2021

Taylor

Scrimshaw

Labadie

Haynes

Gambin

Bennett

Dolan

Longe-King

Demetriou

Shephard

King SUBSTITUTIONS:

57’ Taylor ➡ Amond; 57’ Gambin ➡ Baker; 57’ Scrimshaw ➡ Abrahams; 80’ Shephard ➡ Collins; 80’ Haynes ➡ Willmott 29

US V. THEM HOW WE COMPARE IN THE LEAGUE

POSITION

GOAL TIMINGS

POSITION

Minute For Against

1 2

0-15

16-30 6 8

POINTS

46-60 1 8

GOALS SCORED

YELLOW CARDS

HOME 7 AWAY 19

FAILED TO SCORE

61-75 2 6

YELLOW CARDS

SECOND STRAIGHT YELLOWS REDS

HOME 15 AWAY 19

76-90+ 10

25 HOME 10 AWAY 15

TOP SCORER

MOST ASSISTS

Jack Muldoon

Aaron Martin

Oldham Athletic

Cambridge United

26 Dec (A)

9 Jan (A)

L1-2

Exeter City

D0-0 19 Jan (H)

MOST ASSISTS

Tranmere Rovers

22 Jan (A)

26 Jan (A)

L2-3

10 YEAR LEAGUE RECORD

Oldham Athletic

Crawley Town

19 Dec (H)

26 Dec (A)

L2-4

D1-1

Salford City

Cheltenham Town

16 Jan (H)

19 Jan (A)

D0-0

D1-1

L2-3

23 Jan (A)

NLN

N NL L

NLN

11 12

NLN

11/12

12/13

13/14

14/15

10/11

15/16

16/17

17/18

18/19

19/20

10/11

11/12

12/13

13/14

14/15

15/16

16/17

17/18

L2 = EFL League Two; NL = National League / Conference Premier; NLN = National League North / Conference North;

Oldham Athletic

10 YEAR LEAGUE RECORD

Tristan Abrahams and Matty Dolan

LAST FIVE LEAGUE GAMES

Salford City

D2-2

5 TOP SCORER

Padraig Amond

LAST FIVE LEAGUE GAMES

Matty Dolan

GOALS CONCEDED

HOME 13 AWAY 18

46-60 3 2

GOALS CONCEDED

W2-1

31-45 6 6

GOALS SCORED

SECOND STRAIGHT YELLOWS REDS

CLEAN SHEETS

16-30 6 3

HOME 23 AWAY 17

76-90+ 3

7 3

0-15

FAILED TO SCORE

61-75 7 5

Minute For Against

POINTS

31-45 8 3

HOME 7 AWAY 20

GOAL TIMINGS

CLEAN SHEETS

18/19

19/20

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PROUD TO SUPPORT 31

THE EX-FILES

Aaron Williams 2016-17

Apps: 17 I Goals: 3

JUST ONE PLAYER HAS WORN THE SHIRTS OF BOTH TOWN AND NEWPORT IN HIS CAREER by Phil Harrison Club Historian

2018-19

Apps: 39 (29) I Goals: 5

Forward Aaron Williams started his career in the Walsall youth team before going on to play eight senior games for The Saddlers in League One between 2011-13. Aaron then left Walsall and played for a number of non-league clubs before joining Peterborough United in 2016, playing 10 games for the Posh in League One. After a loan spell at Nuneaton Town, Williams signed for Newport County in January 2017, making his debut against Wycombe Wanderers. He played 17 times for the Exiles during the 2016-17 campaign, a season dubbed the club’s “Great Escape” where Newport avoided relegation on the last day of the season after being 11 points adrift in March before winning seven of the last 12 games to survive and sending Hartlepool United down instead. He then joined Brackley Town on loan in the National League North in August 2017 before making the move permanent in January 2018 scoring 34 goals in 42 games for The Saints which attracted the attention of Town. Aaron joined Harrogate in the summer of 2018 for their first season in the National League making his debut in the opening game of season against Sutton United. He went on to make 39 appearances for Town, 29 of them from the subs bench, hitting the back of the net five times. In June 2019 he moved to AFC Telford United in the National League North.

AD-105x210-KIO-Take A Stand.indd 1

20/01/2021 19:13

Employability is the word for the Community Foundation It is a very exciting time within the Foundation with the opportunity to deliver Traineeships and the new Government incentivised Kickstart programme. The traineeships are being delivered in three main areas: Groundsmanship, Hospitality/Customer Service and Stewarding. With people between the ages of 19-24 undertaking work placements, learning new skills and increasing their employment prospects. You may have seen one of our trainees tending to the pitch at our last home match against Exeter City.

Kickstart Programme Update Many of you may have heard of the Kickstart programme that is aimed at those who are between the ages of 16-24 years old, unemployed and at risk of long term unemployment. Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, through their partnership with the EFL Trust have managed to acquire 5x Kickstart places to undertake much needed tasks within the club and the charity. We are still recruiting roles in Media, Sports Coaching and Office Administration. Please email community@harrogatetownafc.com for more details. Henry Whitaker who has joined the club as Media Assistant through the Kickstart opportunity was in fact the first EFL Trust Kickstart placement in the country! Welcome Henry.

For more details about Harrogate Town AFC Community Foundation, or to get involved as a participant or volunteer, please email community@harrogatetownafc.com 34

COMMUNITY FOUNDATION

Harrogate Town AFC’s first ever #TeamTalk a huge success

We are really happy to be raising awareness of mental health through our #TeamTalk sessions – in partnership with the EFL Trust and MIND. The whole purpose is to urge supporters to talk and stay connected and keep the conversation around mental health going. Our first session welcomed Phil Priestley to talk about his experiences in life, health and football. There were some fantastic stories and engagement from all that took part. We will have another special guest for our next #TeamTalk on Thursday 25th February 2021. Delivered on Zoom – please email community@harrogatetownafc.com to join.

National Citizen Service (NCS) now delivered by Community Foundation It is with great delight that we are now confirmed as the delivery partners of NCS within Harrogate and District. Working closely with the NCS Trust and EFL Trust, we will be presenting the opportunity to all high schools for those between the ages of 16-17 years to take part. Founded on the principles of social cohesion, social engagement and social mobility, NCS aims to make a life-changing difference to young people and how they approach life after school (something that can be daunting for even the most confident teens). In just a few weeks, they’ll mix with new people from different backgrounds, conquer big challenges, pick up some invaluable skills and get the confidence they need to live independently. Recruitment events will take place directly within schools, over the next few weeks.

Premier League Primary Stars Delivery With the current lockdown and limiting opportunities to access schools physically to deliver the Premier League Primary Stars programme, our lessons have gone online! Steve Pattison, also our Community Run Leader, has been delivering Friday morning Live Workouts to our partner schools. Both school classes and those who are being homeschooled can take part. We are planning other Community Workout sessions that will be available to watch at your leisure. 35

TOWN FIXTURES & RESULTS 2020/21 DATE

OPPOSITION

COMP

RES

ATT PTS POS STARTING XI

SEPTEMBER Sat 5

Tranmere Rovers (R1)

1-1

Town win 8-7 on pens

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

Tue 8

Grimsby Town

2-2

Grimsby earn bonus point by winning 5-4 on pens

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Lokko ● ■

Kirby

Sat 12

Southend United

4-0

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

Wed 16

West Bromwich Albion (R2)

0-3

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith ■

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 19

Walsall

2-2

Cracknell

Fallowfield ■ Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

Tue 22

Notts County (Semi-Final)

1-0

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith ●

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 26

Port Vale

0-0

Cracknell

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

12 Belshaw

3 4

1 3

OCTOBER Sat 3

Bolton Wanderers

1-2

Tue 6

Leicester City U21’s

3-1

Mon 12

Bradford City

1-0

Sat 17

Barrow

1-0

Tue 20

Grimsby Town

2-1

Sat 24

Colchester United

Tue 27

Stevenage

Sat 31

Newport County

Fallowfield

Jones ■

Smith

Hall

Falkingham ■

Belshaw

Burrell

Jones ●

Lokko

Lawlor

Kirby

Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham ■

Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

1-2

Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham

0-0

Belshaw

Fallowfield ■ Burrell

Smith

Hall

Falkingham ■

1-2

12 Belshaw

Jones ■

Burrell

Smith ●

Hall

Falkingham ■

14 Belshaw

NOVEMBER Tue 3

Tranmere Rovers

0-1

Jones

Burrell

Smith

Hall

Kirby ■

Fri 6

Skelmersdale United (R1)

4-1

Cracknell

Jones ■

Burrell

Lokko

Lawlor ●

Falkingham

Tue 10

Hull City

0-2

Cracknell

Jones

Burrell

Lokko

Lawlor

Kirby

Sat 14

Crawley Town

1-1

12 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 21

Leyton Orient

0-3

14 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Jones ■

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Tue 24

Mansfield Town

1-0

12 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Jones ■

Burrell

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 28

Blackpool (R2)

0-4

Burrell ■

Hall

Lawlor

Lokko ■

Falkingham ■

Belshaw

DECEMBER Tue 1

Scunthorpe United

2-5

15 Belshaw

Kirby

Burrell

Lawlor

Hall ●

Falkingham

Sat 5

Forest Green Rovers

0-1

410

17 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 12

Morecambe

0-1

17 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Tue 15

Exeter City

2-1

1,559

17 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Burrell

Lawlor ■

Hall

Falkingham

Sat 19

Salford City

0-1

495

17 Belshaw

Fallowfield ■ Burrell ■

Lawlor

Hall

Francis

Sat 26

Oldham Athletic

2-1

16 Belshaw

Fallowfield

Lawlor

Hall

Francis

Burrell

JANUARY Sat 9

Cambridge United

1-2

18 Belshaw

Roberts ■

Burrell ■

Lawlor

Hall

Francis

Tue 19

Exeter City

0-0

18 Belshaw

Williams

Burrell ■

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Fri 22

Salford City

2-2

18 Belshaw

Williams

Francis ●

Lawlor

Hall

Falkingham

Tue 26

Tranmere Rovers

2-3

20 Belshaw

Francis

Burrell

Lawlor

Hall ■

Falkingham

Sat 30

Newport County

W 15:00

FEBRUARY Sat 6

Crawley Town

W 15:00

Tue 9

Cheltenham Town

W 19:00

Sat 13

Leyton Orient

W 15:00

Tue 16

Carlisle United

W 19:00

Sat 20

Scunthorpe United

W 15:00

Tue 23

Mansfield Town

W 19:45

Sat 27

Grimsby Town

W 15:00

Tue 2

Barrow

D 19:45

Sat 6

Stevenage

W 15:00

Tue 9

Colchester United

W 19:45

Sat 13

Forest Green Rovers

W 15:00

Sat 20

Morecambe

W 15:00

Sat 27

Southend United

W 15:00

Fri 2

Walsall

W 15:00

Mon 5

Port Vale

W 15:00

Sat 10

Bolton Wanderers

W 15:00

Sat 17

Bradford City

W 15:00

Tue 20

Oldham Athletic

W 19:45

Sat 24

Carlisle United

W 15:00

Sat 1

Cambridge United

W 15:00

Sat 8

Cheltenham Town

W 15:00

MARCH

APRIL

MAY

KEY:

TOWN SCORE SHOWN FIRST ● Goal /  Penalty /  Own Goal ■ Yellow Card / ■ Red Card 1st sub / 2nd sub / 3rd sub / 4th sub / 5th sub H* At Keepmoat Stadium, Doncaster

SUBSTITUTES

Kerry ●

Thomson

Walker

Martin

Muldoon

Stead (73), Beck (82), Emmett, Kiernan, Kirby, Lokko

Kerry

Kiernan ●

Walker

Stead

Muldoon

Martin (58), Beck (64), Thomson (75), Falkingham, Emmett, Hall

Kerry ●

Thomson

Beck

Martin ● ■

Muldoon ● ●

Stead (58), Walker (75), Jones, Kirby, Lokko, Minter

Kerry

Thomson

Beck

Martin

Muldoon

Stead (61), Jones (63), Kirby (79), Kiernan, Walker, Lokko, Minter

Kerry

Thomson

Beck

Martin ●

Muldoon ●

Stead (71), Jones, Kirby, Walker, Lokko, Minter

Kerry ■

Thomson

Kiernan ■

Martin

Muldoon

Beck (70), Kirby (80), Stead (90), Lawlor, Lokko, Walker, Minter

Kerry

Thomson

Beck

Martin

Kiernan

Stead (65), Kirby (76 ■), Walker (80), Jones, Lokko, Minter

Kirby

Thomson ● ■

Beck

Martin

Miller

Kiernan (56), Walker (69), Stead (75), Burrell, Kerry, Cracknell

Kerry

Emmett

Kiernan ●

Stead ●

Walker

Miller (79), Martin (87), Fallowfield, Falkingham, Beck, Hall, Cracknell

Kerry ●

Thomson

Miller

Stead

Muldoon

Martin (80), Kiernan (82), Jones, Kirby, Walker, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Miller

Stead

Muldoon ●

Kiernan (66), Martin (72), Jones, Kirby, Walker, Cracknell

Kerry ■

Thomson ■

Miller

Martin

Muldoon ● ●

Kirby (75), Kiernan (84), Stead (90), Jones, Walker, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Miller

Martin

Muldoon

Stead (37 ●), Kiernan (57), Jones (82), Kirby, Walker, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson

Miller

Stead

Muldoon

Kiernan (63), Beck (70), Walker (78), Jones, Lokko, Cracknell

Kerry ■

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Kirby (40), Beck (85), Stead, Walker, Lokko, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Walker (70), Stead (75), Lokko (90), Emmett, Beck, Cracknell

Kirby

Walker

Miller ●

Beck ●

Muldoon

Thomson (64), Kiernan (64), Martin (69 ●), Jones, Lokko, Cracknell

Kerry

Kiernan

Beck

Martin

Walker

Thomson (59), Stead (78), Falkingham, Muldoon, Miller, Hall, Belshaw

Kerry ■

Thomson

Walker

Kiernan

Muldoon ●

Martin (45), Jones (76), Kirby (76), Stead, Beck, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Burrell (45 ■), Stead (60), Kirby (60), Walker (84), Lokko, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Miller ●

Beck

Muldoon

Kiernan (67), Martin (82), Lawlor (88), Kirby, Walker, Cracknell

Kerry ■

Thomson

Miller ■

Beck

Muldoon

Kiernan (63), Kirby (88), Fallowfield, Stead, Martin, Cracknell

Kerry

Thomson

Miller

Beck

Muldoon ●

Kiernan (45), Martin (68), Stead, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Beck (90), Kerry, Stead, Miller, Lokko, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Stead (80), Beck, Kerry, Miller, Lokko, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson

Kiernan ●

Martin

Muldoon ●

Francis (59), Miller (83), Stead, Kerry, Lokko, Cracknell

Kirby ■

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Kerry (73), Miller (85), Stead, Lokko, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson ● ●

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Falkingham (72), Kerry (90), Miller, Stead, Lokko, Cracknell

Kirby

Thomson

March ■

McPake

Muldoon ●

Williams (54), Falkingham (65 ■), Kerry (65 ■ ■), Stead (82), Hondermarck (82), Minter

Francis

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Fallowfield (76), Kirby (79), March (83), McPake, Hondermarck, Minter

McPake

Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon ●

Power (74), March (74), Hondermarck, Kirby, Lokko, Minter

McPake ● Thomson

Kiernan

Martin

Muldoon

Power (60), March (60 ●), Hondermarck, Kirby, Williams, Minter

Last updated 26 January 2021

A = Appearances; () = Games on as sub; G = Goals;

Second Yellow Card

HARROGATE TOWN FIRST-TEAM SQUAD N O

IN A PT A C

IN N A LO

James

Belshaw

Ryan

Fallowfield

Dan

Josh

Jones

Will

Falkingham

Warren

Burrell

Smith

IN N O N A LO

George

Thomson

Brendan

William

Hondermarck

Kiernan

Connor

Kirby

Mark

Aaron

Beck

Jake

Martin

Jon

Lloyd

Stead

Lawlor

Jack

Kerry

Cracknell

IN N O N A LO

Francis

Walker

Melvin

Tom

Minter

March

Kevin

Lokko

Williams N O

N O

MANAGER

N A LO

Simon

Weaver

Jay

Josh

McPake

Josh

Mitchell

Roberts

Paul

Thirlwell

ASSISTANT MANAGER

Simon

Power

Phil

Priestley

GOALKEEPER COACH

Hall

Muldoon

League Two

Connor

2020/21 SEASON STATS # Player

Joe

G ■

Cups

■

Season A

Town

James Belshaw

21 (0) 0

- 2 (0) 0 23 (0) 0 167

Ryan Fallowfield

17 (1)

- 4 (0) 0 21 (1) 0 144

Dan Jones

5 (2)

Josh Falkingham

20 (2) 0

- 5 (0) 0 25 (2) 0 161

Will Smith

11 (0)

- 4 (0) 0 15 (0) 0 59

Warren Burrell

21 (1)

- 7 (0) 0 29 (1) 0 248 12

George Thomson

23 (0) 3

- 4 (3) 0 27 (3) 3 160 30

Will Hondermarck

0 (1)

- 0 (0) 0 0 (1) 0

Mark Beck

6 (3)

- 4 (3) 1 10 (6) 1

116 26 31

3 (1) 1

8 (3)

10 Aaron Martin

17 (5) 2

- 4 (3) 1 21 (6) 3

Joe Leesley*

0 (0) 0

- 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0 146 34

12 Jake Lawlor

12 (1)

- 4 (0) 1

13 Joe Cracknell

3 (0) 0

- 6 (0) 0 9 (0) 0

16 (1)

14 Brendan Kiernan

12 (8)

- 4 (2) 2 16 (10) 3

15 Connor Kirby

10 (6) 0

- 4 (3) 0 14 (9) 0

16 Jon Stead

3 (10)

- 2 (4) 1 5 (14) 2

17 Lloyd Kerry

13 (3) 2

1 7 (0) 1 20 (3) 3 177

18 Jack Muldoon

22 (0) 11

19 Calvin Miller* 20 Connor Hall

- 6 (0) 0 28 (0) 11 124 42

2 (1) 1 10 (3) 2

24 (0) 1

- 4 (0) 0 28 (0) 1

8 (2)

22 Ed Francis

6 (1)

- 0 (0) 0

23 Tom Walker

1 (6)

- 5 (0) 0 6 (6) 0

24 Josh March

1 (3)

- 0 (0) 0

25 Melvin Minter

0 (0) 0

- 0 (0) 0 0 (0) 0

26 Kevin Lokko

0 (1)

- 5 (0) 1

5 (1)

27 Jay Williams

2 (1)

- 0 (0) 0

2 (1)

28 Josh McPake

3 (0)

- 0 (0) 0 3 (0)

29 Mitchell Roberts

1 (0)

- 0 (0) 0 1 (0) 0

0 (2)

0 0

- 0 (0) 0 0 (2) 0

- 1 (0) 0 1 (0) 0 229 22

30 Simon Power -

Jack Emmett**

0 (0) 0

A = Appearances; () = Games on as sub; G = Goals; *Out on Loan; **Left Club

6 (1) 1 (3)

Second Yellow

Proud to support Harrogate Town Football Club

Call 01423 524 322 or visit www.howardmatthews.co.uk 39

HELPING FAMILIES ENJOY FOOTBALL AT HOME The ‘homemade waste pipe goal’. Waste pipes, push-fit knuckle bends and some barrier fencing. It doesn’t seem like much, but sometimes it’s all you need to transform your garden into a proper footy pitch.

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EFL

NEXT UP AT HOME

Ch eltenham To wn TUESDAY 9TH FEBRUARY 2021 SKY BET LEAGUE TWO, 7PM

THE ROBINS are flying high again in League Two this year after the disappointment of not being promoted last season. In 2019-20 they finished fourth on PPG and after a 2-0 win at Northampton Town in the first leg of the play-off semi-final must have fancied their chances at making the Wembley final, but a 3-0 defeat in the second leg saw the dream ended. Since their one-season stint in the Conference in 2015-16, the Gloucestershire outfit have finished 21st, 17th and 16th before last seasonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s play-off campaign. For much of the millennium they have competed in the fourth tier of English football having been promoted for the first time in 1999, and have only played outside of it for four seasons in League One (2002-03 and 2006-09) and that 2015-16 season in the Conference, when they managed to bounce back

30TH JANUARY 2021 FIXTURES Carlisle United v Exeter City Bolton Wanderers v Leyton Orient Bradford City v Barrow Cambridge United v Crawley Town Forest Green Rovers v Cheltenham Town Grimsby Town v Stevenage Harrogate Town v Newport County Morecambe v Tranmere Rovers Oldham Athletic v Salford City Port Vale v Southend United Walsall v Mansfield Town

at the first time of asking with 101 points.

Andy Williams

Currently lying fourth in the table but only two points off top spot with a game in hand, they are built on a solid defence and they are quick on the attack. So far this season, Michael Duffâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s side have kept 10 clean sheets, five of which have been away from home whilst they have found the back of the net 34 times. Those goals have been shared between 12 players, and it is veteran Andy Williams who leads the way with seven league goals whilst Alfie May is close behind on five.

LEAGUE TWO TABLE 2020/21 TEAM

HOME P

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Cambridge United Forest Green Rovers Morecambe Cheltenham Town Newport County Carlisle United Salford City Tranmere Rovers Exeter City Leyton Orient Walsall Crawley Town Mansfield Town Oldham Athletic Colchester United Port Vale Scunthorpe United Bradford City Bolton Wanderers Harrogate Town Barrow Stevenage Grimsby Town Southend United

25 25 24 24 23 21 24 24 23 24 25 22 24 26 24 26 25 23 24 24 23 23 25 25

AWAY

W D

7 5 6 6 7 8 5 7 7 7 5 5 2 3 6 4 5 3 3 1 3 4 2 4

2 2 2 3 1 1 0 5 4 4 4 2 4 9 1 6 6 4 6 5 2 4 6 9

19 15 17 20 15 23 20 19 26 21 14 19 16 19 18 16 15 10 12 7 19 10 8 13

4 5 4 4 2 1 7 0 2 2 4 3 6 1 4 3 2 4 3 4 7 4 4 1

A W D

A GD Pts

11 11 14 13 10 11 9 14 14 12 15 11 17 25 11 17 18 11 17 13 16 8 18 22

5 3 5 3 4 5 6 3 1 6 2 4 2 3 6 7 8 5 4 6 8 5 8 6

19 17 16 14 19 9 11 12 18 13 18 15 16 21 10 18 12 13 16 19 11 7 11 3

12 12 19 10 15 9 10 16 16 15 18 17 13 21 22 22 16 15 20 18 16 17 25 17

5 6 6 5 4 4 5 4 2 4 3 4 5 6 1 4 4 4 4 6 2 0 3 1

2 4 1 3 5 2 1 5 7 1 7 4 5 4 6 2 0 3 4 2 1 6 2 4

15 9 0 11 9 12 12 1 14 7 -1 6 2 -6 -5 -5 -7 -3 -9 -5 -2 -8 -24 -23

42 42 41 40 40 39 38 38 36 36 35 34 32 32 31 29 29 28 28 27 23 22 21 20

Last updated 26 January 2021

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HARROGATE TOWN

NEWPORT COUNTY

1 James Belshaw (GK) 2 Ryan Fallowfield 3 Dan Jones 4 Josh Falkingham (c) 5 Will Smith 6 Warren Burrell 7 George Thomson 8 William Hondermarck 9 Mark Beck 10 Aaron Martin 12 Jake Lawlor 13 Joe Cracknell (GK) 14 Brendan Kiernan 15 Connor Kirby 16 Jon Stead 17 Lloyd Kerry 18 Jack Muldoon 20 Connor Hall 22 Ed Francis 23 Tom Walker 24 Josh March 25 Melvin Minter (GK) 26 Kevin Lokko 27 Jay Williams 28 Josh McPake 29 Mitch Roberts 30 Simon Power

1 Tom King (GK) 2 Ashley Baker 3 Ryan Haynes 4 Joss Labadie (c) 7 Robbie Willmott 8 Matty Dolan 9 Padraig Amond 10 Josh Sheehan 11 Tristan Abrahams 12 Daniel Leadbitter 15 David Longe-King 16 Luke Gambin 17 Scot Bennett 20 Anthony Hartigan 21 Lewis Collins 22 Kevin Ellison 24 Jack Evans 26 Owen Windsor 27 Jake Scrimshaw 28 Mickey Demetriou 29 Ryan Taylor 30 Nick Townsend (GK) 32 Liam Shephard 33 Joe Woodiwiss

MANAGER: Simon Weaver

NEXT HOME

MANAGER: Mike Flynn

MATCH OFFICIALS Referee: Christopher Pollard

NEXT AWAY

Assistant Referees: Joe Simpson / Daniel Woodward

CHELTENHAM TOWN

Fourth Official: Kenwyn Hughes

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO TUE 9 FEBRUARY - 7PM

CRAWLEY TOWN

SKY BET LEAGUE TWO SAT 6 FEBRUARY - 3PM

O U R PARTNE RS

Harrogateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Number 1 Family Estate Agent

HARROGATE STEEL DESIGN

M A N U FAC T U R E

I N S TA L L

Harrogate Town vs Newport County

Articles inside

Community Foundation

Meet the Opposition: Newport County

The Ex-Files

This Week in Town’s History

Ed Francis Interview

Captain’s Notes