The Skipper’s Season Review: Josh Falkingham

THE SKIPPER’S SEASON REVIEW

The 2020/21 football season is now drawing to a close and as Friday night marks our last home game of the campaign, I thought it would be right for us to reflect on what has been a rollercoaster ride in our maiden year as a Football League club.

Interview by Henry Whitaker

The year that was 2020 won’t ever be forgotten and for me, and how it ended playing out for the football club, the euphoria and absolute buzz of getting promoted was a moment we’ll never forget.

An amazing couple of weeks followed and we all felt on cloud nine. Sometimes I’d sit down and just have a minute to think about it all. It just makes me smile, even right now as I’m writing this it gives me such a good feeling, it was just a brilliant period for everyone involved with the club.

There was about two or so weeks away from football before we were back in for pre-season but it felt like we only had a week off, the downtime just went in a snap. It was a week to enjoy what we had achieved but the second week was us starting to focus on returning to training the following Monday.

We knew it was going to be difficult and we didn’t want it to start slowly, we wanted to continue the buzz and excitement.

Heading into preseason, it felt like our second of the year as when we returned for the National League playoffs, we put absolutely everything into that 6-8 week period. It was full-on and looking back, I don’t think we ever felt like we got a true break to switch off before life in the Football League began.

Saying that, the short break did allow us to come back full of confidence, momentum and have that feeling that no matter who we played, we could win. We wanted to start fast and we did that in the best fashion.

It was on Saturday 5th September that our Football League journey began and it came in the Carabao Cup against Tranmere Rovers. It was a new competition for us, a new quality of opposition and the first of many new stadiums we’d visit throughout the season.

We took that game seriously and got a fantastic result. I think we probably deserved to win that game within the 90 minutes but it went to penalties and we managed to win. I won’t let anybody forget that as it was my penalty which sealed it and I did not take penalties!

Just a few days later at Southend, we couldn’t have started life in League Two any better. It was an unbelievable start to go away from home and put four goals past a club that has been a Football League Club for decades.

We just weren’t phased or worried by the occasion or the attention on us. We just took it in our stride and we were unbelievable that day. For the build-up and everything going around it, it was the perfect start.

September was a crazy month and another memorable occasion followed four days after our first League Two win, as we travelled to the West Midlands to face Premier League side West Brom in the second round of the Carabao Cup. We were in front of the Sky Sports cameras for the first time and it felt like the whole world was watching. It was great to play in that stadium against Premier League opposition and we could take a lot of credit from that game in what was another massive moment for the players and the club.

We just wanted to make ourselves, the club, and most importantly, our supporters proud. We went there with no pressure for a result but the club was in the spotlight and we wanted to put in a good performance. I think we did that and it took three great goals to knock us out of the competition.

That game makes me think back to when I first joined the club in 2017. I remember me and the Gaffer spoke about the plan and the first step was to get promotion out of the National League North. We all wanted to play higher and the conversation

An opening day 4-0 win at Southend was the perfect start to life in League Two

Playing at West Brom in the Carabao Cup was another huge moment for the club

followed to ‘how far can we go?’. It’s not been a fluke to get to this stage. It’s been a lot of hard work and it’ll continue to be hard work pushing forward. I say it all the time, standing still and taking a step sideways or back, it’s a recipe for disaster.

Four years ago when I joined, if someone had asked me whether I thought we’d get these types of games in 2021, although the question may have surprised me at first, I think my answer would be yes. It’s where we wanted to go and we wanted to get better and still do now.

Those first two weeks of the season were historic and they set the standard. By the time September ended, we’d played our first ever Carabao Cup game, our first ever League Two game and remained unbeaten in the league for that month. We then ended September by securing our second trip to Wembley for the FA Trophy final, having beaten Notts County.

It was a hectic month but we had so much belief within the dressing room and when things do go well, it does make you feel like you can beat anybody. We knew how hard it would be going to Notts County but to go to Wembley again was an opportunity we didn’t want to miss out on. Writing this having not even played the final yet, just shows how mad and crazy a year it’s been.

Moving into October and our second month in the Football League, two games stand out to me and one of them is the away win against Bradford City. I think I’d say it was one of my favourite results this season.

I’ve always been one of those lads who loves a derby game. There’s something about them that makes you want to make sure that you walk away with the win, no matter what. When I first joined, York City was the derby game and then Halifax and Hartlepool became the local games.

This season, the derby was Bradford and as a Leeds lad growing up watching Bradford against Leeds in the Premier League, knowing what their stadium is like and the size of the club, it was the game I looked for. The mindset was to come out of that game with three points. It was an all at it performance and 1 to 11, everybody had a top game. Lloydy [Lloyd Kerry] stuck the goal away well and made it a really good night.

The next week saw us finally back in Harrogate for our first Football League game at the EnviroVent Stadium. It was another big moment after the club had put in so much effort to allow us to go get and promoted.

We were desperate to get a result and it was quite fitting that we played Barrow, the side we came up into the Football League with.

Lloyd Kerry celebrates scoring the winner at Valley Parade in front of the Sky cameras

Obviously, before we could return to Harrogate we played a few games at Doncaster Rovers’ Keepmoat Stadium and I must say a huge thank you to everyone there who allowed us to play at their stadium. They have a fantastic facility and stadium where we could start our Football League journey.

There’s no place like home though and although it was an empty EnviroVent Stadium, there was still a real buzz to be back home. We succeeded in getting the three points with Mullers scoring with a fantastic finish.

Six League Two games had now been played and we were sitting quite nicely in 7th place in the table.

What followed is what I call ‘the start of the rollercoaster’. We entered a period from the end of October until November where we really struggled to pick up wins in the league. It started against Colchester and then continued for seven games. After the first couple defeats, I think the general feeling was that it was OK to not win every game but then we kept dropping points and we hadn’t really had that before. There is no doubt it was a difficult period for us as no one wants to be a part of results that don’t go your way.

That month or so was a big learning curve. I think the main lesson was realising how relentless every game in this division is. We were so high, to begin with, and then came crashing down with a string of poor results. It wasn’t good for anybody and was a harsh lesson for us to learn.

That one hit or moment where you switch off can kill you and it did to us several times. It was hard to rebuild that momentum and push ourselves through it, but we had to be strong and have the mentality that the next game was the only one that mattered and that it was a chance to turn it around. I’d also say that period felt like we were in between games for a long time. We had cup games thrown in between and it made it hard to put a run of good league results together. It felt stop-start and one step forward, two steps back. We know how vital momentum is and what two or three wins can do for the league position and confidence.

We then got a 1-0 win at Mansfield in late November and that was massive for us. The game before we lost 3-0 at Leyton Orient but had actually played quite well only for Danny Johnson to score a hattrick and completely change the game.

Jack Muldoon scores the winner against Barrow in our first ever EFL home game at the EnviroVent Stadium

The win at Mansfield was a massive moment for us. Mark Beck got the freak result and simply not us. I remember goal that night thinking during the game ‘what’s going on?’ there was nothing we could do to stop it. It was a complete blip and we deserved the 5-2 beating. We just had to pick ourselves back up after that. As players, we just had to be so strong mentally and no that performance just wasn’t us. The next game was against Forest Green and it was a really important one for us as we saw the return of fans and I think that helped us put in a performance which was more like us. Although we lost the game, it was by fine margins. It was a strange feeling for us on that day, hearing the claps and hearing the roar.

We were 2-0 down out of nowhere and that There were about 400 of you but it felt like scoreline is hard to turn around away from home 4000. It was fantastic to see so many familiar faces in this division. I know people at home might see in the stands and hopefully, it was a little taste of it differently but we didn’t see or feel that coming what’s to come next season. within the game. December was a busy month and we had seven

We knew going to Mansfield, the pitch was games scheduled. We lost narrowly away to starting to turn and it wasn’t going to be a pretty Morecambe and then three days later had the very night of football. It was a case where we needed to roll our sleeves up and get through it. We got that opening goal in the first half and hung on well. The mindset was so strong that night and I think that tough task of going down to Exeter on Tuesday night, playing in front of a couple of thousand fans. Exeter had been scoring for fun so far in the season showed in the performance. but we really had the bit between our teeth that night and put in a top performance to get the 2-1

That win was supposed to be the beginning of result, it was just brilliant. the turnaround but then we faced Blackpool in the second round of the FA Cup, a side who was going to do everything to get into the third round of the Our lowest point of the season, losing 5-2 at home to Scunthorpe competition. We lost that tie 4-0 and the scoreline made it seem like a battering in the end. The last 20 minutes of that game left us so deflated but they were a strong side and it just ran away from us. The FA Cup game just came at the wrong time for us. With where our confidence and form was at, I think we needed a run of league games following the win at Mansfield to kick on. Again, it was one step forward, two back.

Nonetheless, we still went into the next fixture against Scunthorpe United looking for a positive result but it turned out to be the worst result and performance of the season, in my opinion.

It was a strange game and that wasn’t Harrogate Town Football Club. It was a freak performance, a

We travelled to Exeter for a Tuesday night game and came a way with a fantastic 2-1 win in front of a few thousand home fans.

Exeter was the furthest possible place to go on a Tuesday night but the club looked after us and put us up for two nights in the hotel. We felt a little added pressure to go and get a result as we owed the club for looking after us. You want to look after the people who look after you, that’s how this football club does it.

The games kept coming at a crazy pace as we then hosted Salford at the EnviroVent in front of even more fans, and then just after Christmas, we got nine minutes of football against Carlisle before that game was called off due to a frozen pitch.

We then had a period at the start of January where Covid was in some clubs and we had some bad weather. We had nearly two weeks without a game at one point, it felt like a mini-break from the hectic schedule. One game in three weeks made for a strange period.

It all added to the carnage of the season. Games were being put back and instead of normally going into the second half of the season where we’d go back to just Saturday kick-offs, instead, we had a load of Tuesday games to come. I think in a weird way, it enabled us to turn a corner and go on a good run. That little, slight stop in action gave the bodies a chance to recharge. The legs needed a bit of a break.

We got some really positive results which catapulted us up the league table and it just showed what happens when you do put a run of wins together. Suddenly, you go from looking over your shoulder at the teams below, to having a chance of jumping into the playoff spots.

Another huge boost came in January with the addition of some fresh faces. The Gaffer spoke to the whole group and said that once January arrived, he would strengthen the group. It’s what we needed. Game by game, it was taking it out of us and we needed freshness. The lads came in and fair play, they were bright, full of energy and gave us a buzz and boost. When you see that, it gives you that extra 10-15%.

We dug out a point with Exeter while down to 10 men and then got a last-minute equaliser against Salford, which I think allowed us to build some momentum. It allowed us to fight to where we wanted and believed we should be. We narrowly lost out to Tranmere but played well, and then got two big wins against Newport and Crawley. To go away from home and put three past a Crawley side which defeated Leeds in the FA Cup was a really good result.

As we reached the end of February, we had a run of three games that were going to have a significant impact on the rest of our campaign. Although we had moved up the table, the teams behind us weren’t too far away. We faced Mansfield and Grimsby at home before travelling up to Barrow and we knew those three fixtures could create a big gap between us and our opponents. That was pressure.

Three games, 10 days and nine points was Josh March scores from the penalty spot to the perfect outcome. Looking back, they open the scoring in a 3-1 win at Crawley were six-pointers. The pitches were struggling at this stage and the football wasn’t pretty but the fight, hunger and desire was higher than the opposition’s and that’s why we got the results. We were desperate for those wins and deserved them.

We’ve since dropped back to the lower mid-table positions but the point difference to the teams at the bottom is a lot more than what it was a month or two earlier. It was a big period in the season.

Unfortunately, we’ve found ourselves on the wrong end of games against clubs in and around us. It was a frustrating period because I think that if we could have carried We have just two more league games to go plus on getting results, who knows where we would have of course the FA Trophy final which we’re all looking been. We gave ourselves that chance but didn’t forward to. It’s gutting that none of you will be able take it. to join us on Monday, it really is gutting. The reason

In the last few games, the feeling is coming back why we were so buzzing when we won the semito how it was at the start. It’s about grabbing onto final was that we knew the FA was going to hold the moments and having belief and confidence. It back and see if fans, family and loved ones could comes and goes, so when it does come around, it’s experience what we experienced last year. about holding onto it for as long as possible. Unfortunately, it’s not to be but that’s life

The home win against Bradford in mid-April sometimes. We all have to deal with that and we which secured our safety was for you, the fans. can’t go into the game frustrated or feel sorry for The weather was nice and hopefully, everyone was ourselves. We need to be winners and have that watching that in the sun with a beer and you could mentality, you’ll rightfully expect that from us. enjoy it when the full-time whistle blew. It meant As a football club, you want to win trophies, as a you could celebrate safety and hopefully get to see player you want to win trophies. You the fans, you us playing again in the EFL next season. want trophies and silverware. Everybody wants the opportunity to get that trophy and we’ll be doing all we can to make sure that happens. When the summer comes, it’ll be a chance to rest, recoup and then get ready all over again. I’ll be expecting another intense campaign next season and the return of fans will add so much, even if it might feel a little strange, to begin with. It’s been a crazy season but we’ve still loved it. Hopefully, we can cap it off with a trophy win at Wembley and we’ll see Celebrating at the final whistle after beating you all cheering us on in the stands at Barrow for a third win on the bounce. the start of next season.