ABOUT
T WN ISSUE FOUR AUTUMN 2021
IN DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH Alex Pattison Rory McArdle Luke Armstrong
VIDEO FEATURES
MULDOON AND THOMSON RENEW CONTRACTS DIAMOND SIGNS ON LOAN EFL AWAY DAYS ACADEMY AND LADIES MATCHDAYS HOME SHIRT LAUNCH
GET TO KNOW LEWIS PAGE AND MARK OXLEY
INDIA
PALE ALE
Harrogate’s Number 1 Family Estate Agent
About Town I 1
ABOUT
T WN
Contents 5
I GET TO KNOW - LEWIS PAGE
VIDEO FEATURE 6 I
ALEX PATTISON
PLAYER INTERVIEW
13 I MULDOON & THOMSON COMMIT FUTURES TO TOWN VIDEO FEATURE
14 I AWAY DAYS VIDEO FEATURE 16 I RORY MCARDLE PLAYER INTERVIEW 22 I GET TO KNOW - MARK OXLEY VIDEO FEATURE 23 I GOAL CELEBRATIONS GIF DAY VIDEO FEATURE 2 I About Town
Autumn 2021 25 I DIAMOND IS BACK VIDEO FEATURE 26 I LUKE ARMSTRONG PLAYER INTERVIEW 32 I NEW HOME SHIRT REVEAL VIDEO FEATURE
34 I LADIES SEASON KICK-OFF VIDEO FEATURE 35 I ACADEMY MATCHDAY VIDEO FEATURE 37 I BAA BAA BLACK SHEEP VIDEO FEATURE
Thank you for reading our first digital magazine of the 2021/22 season. Things have been going great on the pitch and as a media team we’ve been trying to keep you all connected off it. With supporters now back in attendance, our ‘Away Days’ videos have been a real privilege to create and share. Having the supporters with us on the road has given us a massive boost on the pitch and no doubt helped get memorable wins at Leyton Orient and Mansfield, which are included as our first two ‘Away Days’ videos of the season. The start of the season means our annual GOAL GIF creation day. This year we decided to produce a behind-the-scenes video so supporters can see exactly what goes into making these social media assets. No prizes for guessing who was star of the show! In August we announced an exciting new partnership with Black Sheep Breweries. I’ve seen a lot of things while working in football, but never expected to spend a day watching our first team and Ladies players chase a live sheep around the pitch! Josh Falkingham, Simon Power, Danilo Orsi, Beth Jennings and Rachel McDonald were all great sports, and a big thank you to our groundsman Iain Bullock for allowing it to happen! Finally, it was brilliant to be able to reveal the deadline day signing of Jack Diamond, who is probably the most exciting signing while I’ve been at the club! It’s fair to say a few of you were expecting the deal, but nevertheless to be able to put out the good news was a great feeling! Enjoy the issue,
Hal
Hal Boxhall-Dockree, Media Manager
Harrogate Town Football Club
The Envirovent Stadium, Wetherby Road Harrogate, HG2 7SA Tel: 01423 210600 Email: enquiries@harrogatetownafc.com BOARD Chairman Vice Chairman Chief Executive Officer Commercial Director Directors Associate Director Finance Director Marketing & Brand Director Life President Vice Presidents
Irving Weaver Howard Matthews Sarah Barry Garry Plant Angus Taylor Dave Riley Mike Partridge Julian Davis Ryan Scott George Dunnington Clive Dunnington David Batty
FOOTBALL First Team Manager: Assistant Manager: Goalkeeper Coach: Chief Scout: Head Physiotherapist: Sports Psychologist: Fitness Coach: Ladies First Team Manager: Academy Manager: Lead PDP Coach: Youth Development:
Simon Weaver Paul Thirlwell Phil Priestley Lee Barraclough Rachel Davis Phil Lee Darren Simpson Carey Huegett Paul Stansfield Ross McKay Josh Falkingham Josh Walsh
OPERATIONS Club Secretary: Abbey Smith Community Development: Iain Service Tom Blackburn Child Welfare & Safeguarding: Dave Riley Becky Wilson Supporters’ Liaison Officer: Phill Holdsworth Head Groundsman: Iain Bullock 1919 Venue Manager: Tricia Lightfoot Ticketing Manager: Hamilton Mattock Retail Manager Claire Kontominas Club Chaplain: Rob Brett PA Announcer Alan Tootill MEDIA Media Manager: Media Assistants: Club Photographer: Graphic Designer:
Hal Boxhall-Dockree Henry Whitaker Brody Pattison Danny Pugsley Matt Kirkham Rich Saltmarsh
About Town I 3
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GET TO KNOW Our Summer signing answers some quick-fire questions
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6 I About Town
ALEX
PATTISON Harrogate Town’s new centre midfielder whose bite in the tackle and hunger to score goals could quickly make him a fan favourite in North Yorkshire. From joining Middlesbrough’s academy at the age of seven to coming just one conversation away from quitting the game completely at the age of 21 years old, this is ‘Pato’s’ story... Interview by Henry Whitaker
Born in the large market town of Darlington in Durham, Pattison began his footballing journey with Mount Pleasant Rangers under 7s before being quickly scouted by those at Middlesbrough Football Club. As a self-proclaimed “energetic and loud” kid, Pattison - or Pato as he’s called by his friends and teammates - loved his early years with the Boro academy. He’d train three times a week in a talented team and although it meant a lot of travelling for his mum and dad, they never thought twice about doing whatever they could for their young lad with a dream. At 14 years old, along with a bunch of his teammates, Pato was handed a scholarship contract, over a year earlier than the norm. He was in a team with the likes of Dael Fry, Marcus Tavernier, Harry Chapman and Hayden Coulsen, all players who are now regulars in the Sky Bet Championship.
Although “buzzing” to get the scholarship, Pato and his family knew that in the long run there was a chance that it could mean nothing. “It was the first milestone to becoming a pro,” Pato says. “Me and my family were buzzing but they were also quite chilled out and realistic, knowing how hard it is to become a professional footballer and that in the long run, a scholarship didn’t mean too much.” The midfielder continued to impress as he moved up through the age groups, quickly signing his first pro deal at the age of 17 years old and then in the following season, being a part of the Middlesbrough youth team which won the U18s Northern Division. The Boro youngsters won their league by nine points, sitting above the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and Manchester United’s academies. It meant they’d qualified for the u19s UEFA Champions League.
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Pato and his teammates would go on to beat Stade de Reims, Torino and Dynamo Kiev to set up a round of 16 tie against one of the competition’s favourites, Paris Saint Germain.
while being so young, it toughens you up a bit and makes you realise the standards you need to play first-team games but I wanted to go out and experience that as quickly as possible, if that had been in the lower leagues, so be it.”
A single goal just before half-time for PSG settled the contest but it had been a great journey for Pato and his teammates.
Pato’s start to the 2017/18 season was disrupted by a broken ankle and on his journey to recovery, a loan move to York City was put in place in December 2017. He spent a month with the Minstermen before the Boro hierarchy called the midfielder back, a decision Pato wasn’t pleased with.
“It was a really good experience, we cruised through the tournament until PSG and they ended up making it to the final. I don’t think many people would have thought a Middlesbrough team could get that far,” Pato confesses. The midfielder would now make the step up the under 23s side and occasionally train with the first team and although Pato “enjoyed the experience” being in and around the first team, his overall relationship with Boro was deteriorating.
“I actually really enjoyed it at York but Middlesbrough wanted me to get experience at a higher level. York were fighting for playoffs and I did end up going back to them in February but at that point, I think the momentum in the group had somewhat diminished and we ended up missing out on the playoffs.”
“I wanted to be out playing somewhere regularly,” Pato explains. “I knew I wouldn’t play in the first team so I wanted to get out as soon as possible. It was a good experience training with the first team
The midfielder continues, “The games meant a lot more as I was playing for points. The EFL Trophy was big while with Boro but realistically we knew we wouldn’t win the tournament whereas playing
8 I About Town
in a league, you know every game matters and you want to finish as high as you can.” As the 2017/18 season came to an end, Pato was ready to leave Boro and start the next chapter of his career. However, as compensation for the ankle injury, Middlesbrough offered Pato a year extension and with little to show for in terms of first-team action, it was a deal he “had to sign”. He joined Yeovil Town on loan for the 2018/19 season and made his debut for the at the time League Two side against Mansfield in a 2-2 draw. Pato believes he started well with the club before a back injury put him on the sidelines for five months. It wouldn’t be until March 2019 when Pato returned and at this point, Yeovil were struggling and eventually relegated to the National League. It was a far from ideal situation for Pato, who at 21 years old, was beginning to enjoy the “thrill” of playing League Two football week in, week out. Then away from football, personal circumstances made life so much tougher. During that season, Pato received the news that his mother, Alison, had become very ill and then in May 2019, Alison sadly passed away at the age of 55. The devastation of losing his mum understandably sent Pato to a bad place for a few months.
“What happened away from football probably showed on the pitch and it took a few months to get back to myself. Football was the last thing on my mind. My mum was really poorly and on the same day I got back from my loan at Yeovil, my mum passed away. I was close to giving it up and was in a bad way throughout the second half of the season. I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to continue playing football.” Pato’s contract with Middlesbrough had now expired and it wasn’t until July that he had decided he wanted to give football one last shot. That opportunity came with Gareth Ainsworth’s Wycombe Wanderers. “I was grateful for them taking a chance on me,” Pato admits. “Ainsworth was quality, one of the nicest you’d meet and I don’t have a bad word to say about him.” The midfielder made his debut on the opening day of the League One season against Bolton Wanderers and would go on to make 16 further appearances for the Chairboys before the season was prematurely ended due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Wycombe were sat third in the table when it all came to halt and it had been a remarkable campaign for Pato’s new club. The season prior,
Pattison (#8) celebrates with his Wycombe teammates after beating Oxford in the Play-Off Final at Wembley
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they avoided relegation by just three points but were now on the verge of creating history. “I think we were favourites to get relegated before the season began,” Pato chuckles. “We signed a lot of good loan players and the group was one of the best I’ve been a part of, to be honest. I think that’s what pushed us to do so well. Everyone there brought something to the table; Adebayo Akinfenwa, David Stockdale, Anthony Stewart, Scott Kashket. It created a great balance in the changing room and there was literally not one player who wasn’t liked.” Pato adds, “I think by Christmas we had only lost one game in the league and we had that mindset of ‘why not?’. There was no pressure, nobody expected us to do so well so we kept doing what we had been and let it all take care of itself.” When the season was forced to take a break, Pato concedes that it did allow him to focus on himself and get in a much stronger position, both physically and mentally. The midfielder lost 10kg of weight he didn’t need to carry and then when he returned to training for the playoffs, Ainsworth had noticed the hard work. 10 I About Town
The 23-year-old found himself in the manager’s plans for the playoffs, something Pato didn’t expect. He featured in both legs of Wycombe’s semi-final victory and then played 45 minutes at Wembley where the Chairboys were promoted to the Championship for the first time in the club’s history. Having started on the bench, Pato was brought on at half-time following an injury to Matt Bloomfield and it was a moment he’ll never forget. “It was probably the best experience I’ve had in football,” Pato says with a humble smile. “I got ready not knowing if it would be me that came on but I then asked the Gaffer and he told me to get ready. I was buzzing to be honest, knowing it was probably my only chance to ever play at Wembley and I ended up becoming a Championship player from it. It’s every kid’s dream to play at Wembley, some Premier League players don’t get to do it so it’s a great achievement.” Pato had now played enough times to trigger a one-year extension with Wycombe and he did just that, featuring for the Championship new boys against Rotherham United on the opening day of the season. Although not expecting to be
a main feature in the Wycombe team, the signs were promising, that was until the midfielder got Covid early into the campaign, forcing him to miss enough games for him to lose his place in the squad. A couple of sub appearances would come Pato’s way in December but other than that, the midfielder didn’t see time on the pitch. The man from Darlington was now far away from home, far away from his girlfriend and not even playing the sport he loves. A decision had to be made and it became a lot easier once Pato found out his partner was pregnant. “When I first signed I had nothing to stay at home for, I needed to get away and have a fresh start, giving football one last shot,” Pato explains. I then got with my girlfriend and she got pregnant which of course changes everything. I needed to be closer to home. It wasn’t worth me not seeing my family and not playing football. As soon as I found out she was pregnant I knew I was moving back home. I felt bad not being there so I had to get home.” Although Wycombe agreed for Pato to leave, the midfielder was in fact in Ainsworth’s plans for the club’s upcoming League One Season. It’s why
when Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver went in for the box-to-box midfielder, it became even more of a coup that Pato decided to sign on the dotted line for the North Yorkshire outfit. “As soon as I left Wycombe, my agent rang me and said Harrogate were interested and they were pretty much the closest team to where I was living,” Pato says. “I said to get it sorted straight away, I didn’t wait for anything else to come my way.” A silky mover and scoring on his competitive debut against Rochdale on the opening day of the season, Pato has already got Town fans excited and rightly so. The midfielder, whose best years are ahead of him, is confident the only way is up from here. “The club’s come so far and I think I’ve got a lot to bring to the squad. I was buzzing to get going, show what I can do and let the fans see what I’m about. I’m in a good place mentally as well and I think it bodes well for the season. I know how good I can be, I want to score goals and help the team finish as high as we can.”
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MULDOON & THOMSON COMMIT TO TOWN!
In July, two key players for Town extended their stays at the club in George Thomson and Jack Muldoon
V ID EO FE TU A R E
MULLERS V THOMMO WHO’S FASTER? WHO’S STRONGER? WHO’S FITTER? WE ASK THE BOYS!
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AWAY The return of supporters has seen Town play in front of some bumper crowds already this season! Here’s a look at our early season wins on the road at Leyton Orient and Mansfield Town.
LEYTON ORIENT
24.08.21
MANSFIELD TOWN 04.09.21 14 I About Town
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RORY
McArdle “He’ll be that kind of big brother figure for the rest of the squad. Having a player with so many EFL games under his belt and that nous talking alongside the rest of the back four will make a big difference.” That’s a quote from Town manager Simon Weaver speaking just after 34-year-old centre half Rory McArdle put pen to paper on a contract with the North Yorkshire club.
With close to 500 professional appearances including two promotions, an FA Cup run and a League Cup Final at Wembley, McArdle arrives ticking all the boxes when it comes to a defender with experience and success. This is the story of Rory McArdle’s journey to Harrogate Town. Interview by Henry Whitaker Born in the Steel City of Sheffield, McArdle grew up and still is a Sheffield Wednesday fan. He attended games as a youngster and had dreams of one day stepping onto the turf at Hillsborough in the famous blue and white striped shirt. At the age of 12, McArdle was scouted by Barnsley’s academy and he spent a year with The Tykes before being released. However, it wouldn’t be long before his next academy move came along but it did so by complete chance. A friend and neighbour of McArdle was in Wednesday’s academy and mentioned to the coaches about the defender’s situation. McArdle was invited to train with the under 14s for the remaining few weeks of the season and then got an unexpected phone call on a Friday night asking if he would feature for Wednesday against Newcastle. Illness to one of Sheffield’s youngsters provided McArdle with an opportunity and it was one he took. Before he knew he signed with Sheffield’s academy.
McArdle would go on to stay with The Owls until he was 19 and played with the likes of Jamie Vardy and now England Rugby Union scrumhalf Danny Care. The defender admits both were “a bit crackers” but they added to what was a successful Wednesday team. The group stayed together right through to under 16s and in their final year together won nearly every game. McArdle explains how the physicality of the team was simply too much to handle for the opponents. “We had a big team which gave us a massive advantage as we just overpowered teams. It was a good group but only three of us went on to get scholarships with Wednesday. That’s when we realised it became much more serious and the expectation levels went through the roof.” Neither Vardy nor Care would join McArdle in The Owls’ under 18s side but it was a “big moment” for the defender who wasn’t expecting anything. Once in the youth team, McArdle got hit with the harsh reality of a young pro. He describes it as a “learning curve” with the jobs About Town I 17
“I remember walking into the manager’s office on my first day at Rochdale and Gareth Griffiths was there. He looked about 6ft 6 and I thought wow, this guy is huge. All the lads were so physical but it was an opportunity I loved,” McArdle continues. “I played 20 odd games that season and I never thought that would happen.” The defender would then make his Sheffield Wednesday debut in 2006, coming on as a substitute against Plymouth Argyle and playing upfront for The Owls as they went through an injury crisis. It would be McArdle’s sole appearance for his boyhood club and he soon returned to Rochdale on loan before signing a permanent deal with the Greater Manchester club in January 2007. In that season, Rochdale finished 5th in League Two and for the first time in their history, made it to Wembley for the Play-off Final.
such as cleaning the training ground and stadium late in the evening being all part of the scholar experience and although tough, something he “wouldn’t have wanted to change” as it “kept the lads grounded”. During his two year scholarship, McArdle was called into Northern Ireland’s under 19s, a team he qualifies for through his dad who was born in Belfast. It was an enjoyable experience for the Sheffield lad who found it a great opportunity to play without pressure while still learning from other players and coaches. In 2004, McArdle signed his first professional contract with Sheffield Wednesday in what was a “massive moment” for the defender. He was unsure where his future would be heading but the coaches at Wednesday quite clearly saw a player in McArdle. He went out on loan to Rochdale at 18-years-old and loved his time at The Dale playing men’s football fighting for points week in, week out. The defender does however say it was a “real eye-opener”, especially after meeting at the time captain Gareth Griffiths. 18 I About Town
Rochdale faced Stockport County and McArdle opened the scoring in the 24th minute with a near-post run header. It was a goal that pleased his mates who had put bets on for him to score first but the result didn’t go the defender’s way as Stockport came back and ended up winning the final 3-2. In the following campaign, McArdle and his teammate’s secured playoffs again but this time lost out to Gillingham in the semi-finals. It was tough to take for the squad but they bounced back again and in the 2009-10 season, a 41-year wait for promotion was over. The Dale secured the third automatic promotion spot following a 1-0 win against Northampton in April 2010 and it was a massive moment for McArdle and the club. “When we finally got over the hurdle it was a fantastic achievement and the fans were buzzing,” McArdle recalls. “It was quite a young team so the togetherness was really good and it showed on the pitch. As we had come so close in previous seasons it meant a lot to get promoted. We did hit a sticky patch towards the end but securing promotion before the season ended meant the last couple of games were a celebration.” Rochdale were now a League One club and McArdle had been offered a new deal to stay with The Dale. However, after five seasons and over 120 appearances, the defender felt it was the right time for a new challenge.
At the same time, McArdle made his senior debut for Northern Ireland, coming on against Turkey. It would be the first of a handful of appearances that saw the defender travel across the world. Israel, Chile and Lichtenstein were all countries that stand out but the game he remembers most is Northern Ireland vs Portugal in 2013. “I didn’t play in the game but we had them at home and it was a miserable night. They went down to 10 men and Cristiano Ronaldo played and I thought I’ve got to sit down and watch this. He did nothing in the game but scored a hattrick and we lost 4-2. I expected him to be all over the pitch but he was just in the right place every time and it’s done him well in his career.” Back on the club scene, McArdle would join Aberdeen in 2010 after deciding to leave Rochdale. The defender was keen to experience the atmosphere in the likes of Celtic Park and Ibrox, as well as play for a club with a history as rich as Aberdeen’s. Although the defender enjoyed the lifestyle in Scotland and playing for The Dons, the move just didn’t work out as well as everyone hoped and so McArdle moved back to Yorkshire, signing for Bradford City in 2012. With the signings brought in and Phil Parkinson in charge, McArdle thought the club “had a good chance” of achieving promotion. What a season it turned out to be… The Bantams would go on an astonishing League Cup run which would see the Yorkshire club become the first-ever League Two outfit to reach a major Wembley Cup Final. The remarkable run saw McArdle and his teammates first defeat League One Notts County and Championship side Watford before needing extra time to overcome Burton Albion - a game where with ten minutes to go, the Bantams were two goals down. A penalty shootout victory against Wigan then set up a mouthwatering tie at Valley Parade against English giants Arsenal.
They’d beat Premier League side Aston Villa 4-1 on aggregate to reach Wembley and it was a moment McArdle remembers fondly. “My Mrs was at the game and I remember her telling me that she saw grown men crying in the crowd. When you hear little things like that you realise how big an achievement it was. At the time as players, we were just enjoying it and on the crest of a wave. There were 80,000 for the League Cup Final against Swansea, we packed out Wembley. The fans didn’t stop singing for the entirety of the game and for them, it wasn’t about the result it was about being able to watch their team in a cup final. Especially after the previous 3-4 years of struggle.” Although losing 5-0 in the final, their push for promotion didn’t stutter and the Bantams earned their spot in the Play-Off Final against Northampton, a side McArdle had already tasted promotion success against. In the build-up to the match, McArdle explains how the final was treated like any other game. “Since we had already been to Wembley, it was just another game for us. We’d done the suits and pre-match hype against Swansea so the playoffs were tracksuits and nothing changed. It showed on the day, we were 3-0 up after half an hour.” The centre half was once again on the scoresheet at Wembley, scoring in the 19th minute, four minutes after James Hanson got the opener. Nahki Wells added to the tally just before the half-hour mark and it killed the contest.
Arsene Wenger put out a side that included Santi Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Lukas Podolski but McArdle could sense they “weren’t up for it” on a freezing cold night in West Yorkshire. An 87thminute equaliser from Thomas Vermaelen took the tie to penalties but once again, Bradford came out on top and were in the semi-finals. About Town I 19
“It was a crazy first season for me”, McArdle says with a sudden realisation of the success. It was nice to get promoted at Wembley and everyone here will be aware of that. Losing at Wembley is the opposite feeling though, especially the 3-4 weeks that follow. It’s one of the worst feelings I’ve had. To score three before 30 minutes allowed us to enjoy the rest of the game. It took the sting out of it and you could sense it in the crowd.” Bradford didn’t look out of place in League One and finished 11th in their first season back. Everyone was happy with the progress and the next season saw a familiar face in Jon Stead return to Bradford City.
“Every time I speak to Steady I bring up his goal just to annoy him a bit,” McArdle grins. “Against Chelsea, under Mourinho at Stamford Bridge, a place where they hadn’t lost in so many games, they were flying. Being 2-0 down it was backs to the wall and we were thinking here we go. But in the second half, I remember standing on the halfway line thinking we were on top and we needed to capitalise on it and thankfully we did. It’s scenes you’d never imagine and feelings that are hard to describe. I was at the cricket the other week and I was speaking to a Bradford fan who reminded me that Fabregas, Willian and Hazard came on in that game. That just shows how well we were doing.”
McArdle would travel into training with the former Town striker and the pair made a good bond. Stead would turn out to play a role in McArdle eventually joining up with Simon Weaver’s squad.
The Bantams’ run would come to an end in the quarter-finals against Reading but at the end of that season, McArdle won the club’s Player of the Year award.
In the 2014-15 season, McArdle and Stead made a combined 95 appearances for the Bantams, including in the FA Cup run which saw the Yorkshire outfit cause a massive upset when they beat Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea at Stamford Bridge 4-2. Stead scored a stunning goal - a goal he’s reminded about daily - just before half-time to keep Bradford in the contest, and in the second half they scored three goals in the final 15 minutes to knock Chelsea out of the competition.
“It was a proud moment, especially being a defender,” he says. “It was strange though as we had a half-decent season and normally a winger or attacker will win the award. It was a massive achievement and the recognition from the players was the big one.”
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In the next two seasons, Bradford twice missed out on promotion to the Championship through the playoffs. First, they
lost to Millwall in the semi-finals and then the next year, lost again to the Lions but this time in the final following an 85th-minute winner from Steve Morrison. McArdle had now spent five years with Bradford and made just short of 200 appearances for them. He felt it was a “good time to leave” and did so, joining Scunthorpe United who were also challenging at the top end of League One. The defender was named captain at the end of his first preseason with The Iron and had a good first year, finishing in the playoffs but falling short against Rotherham. An exodus of key players that summer saw Scunthorpe struggle and they were relegated to League Two at the end of the 2018-19 campaign. “It was tough to take,” McArdle admits. “After doing so well over the previous six years to then be struggling, it wasn’t nice. “We lost a lot of experience in the group which unsettled things a bit too much and I didn’t have as good a season either. We wanted to put it right the following campaign but of course Covid struck.” With financial uncertainty, Scunthorpe said there would be no renewals for players with expired contracts, subject to change if fans returned.
McArdle was one of those players and so packed his bags and moved himself and the family down to Exeter. The defender spent the 2020-21 season with the Grecians and although loved the area and the club, struggled to adjust during the pandemic. “It’s a great place to live and a 10-minute drive to the beach. On a summer’s day, I and the family would have fish and chips and spend time on the beach but it was tough during lockdown with a young family being so far away from everyone we’re close to. It put a lot of things into perspective for me.” McArdle played around 20 games for Exeter before injury forced him out of the line-up. At that point, the family decided a move back north was needed with their eldest child about to settle into school. When Simon Weaver got in touch with McArdle’s team, it got his attention. “When I found out about the Gaffer’s interest and spoke to him and Steady, as well as knowing about the club and success of recent years it didn’t take too long to sort. I spoke to Stead about here and he had nothing but good things to say. His opinion is one I trust so I had no doubts about joining.” The defender has joined to provide experience and competition in the backline and has so far impressed Weaver with his performances as well as his attitude on and off the pitch. McArdle has been “impressed” with the entire squad and believes Town’s high league position is fully deserved. “From coming in on the first day, everybody made me feel so welcome it felt like I’d been here much longer than just a few days. It sounds quite simple but it did feel like that. We are where we are in the league and it’s thoroughly deserved but we’re not getting carried away with it. It’s early days but we wanted to hit the ground running and that’s exactly what we’ve done. Everyone is really fit, really intense and the standards are there. If anyone dips below the standards you get found out and you get told. There’s no slacking and that’s worked in our favour so far. We’ve just got to keep building each game and see where it takes us.” About Town I 21
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GOAL GIFS!!!!!
The start of the season means it’s our annual goal GIF media day! This year we went behind the scenes with Represent Media to see what celebrations the lads plan on using this season About Town I 23
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DIAMOND IS BACK! As well as contract extensions we saw familiar faces return over the Summer. #DiamondIsBack
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26 I About Town
LUKE ARMSTRONG “I was on absolute pennies and it was costing me almost more to travel to the matches than what I was earning. I was purely there to try to get a kick start in the game.” The honest words from Town’s new striker Luke Armstrong, who just five years ago was travelling hours to train and play part-time football in Scotland’s third division. From rejection after rejection as a trialist to scoring in a National League Play-Off Final which helped secure promotion for Hartlepool. This is Luke Armstrong’s story. Interview by Henry Whitaker
The son of former Premier League striker Alun Armstrong, who made over 350 professional appearances and scored against Inter Milan in the 2001 UEFA Cup, football was in Luke’s DNA. The life of a footballer’s son means there’s always a chance you’ll be moving about the country and of course, there’s that “expectation” from peers who just assume you’ll become just as good if not better. For Armstrong, it was no different but he didn’t join his first until he was 12-years-old. He played for Wolsingham’s junior side up in County Durham for a year before Middlesbrough took interest in the striker. Their scout Ron Bone saw the raw potential in the youngster and he joined their under 13s academy team. Straight away though, it was a huge shock for Armstrong. “I remember the early days being really tough and it was a massive step up from where I was before,” Armstrong explains. “I’d gone from scoring six or seven every game finding it easy to moving to an academy and finding it tough.
For those first couple years, I wasn’t at the level I need to be at.” Admitting he was a “small kid”, Armstrong found himself playing for the younger year groups and it wasn’t until under 15s where he began to fill out and believe he was a player worthy of being at Boro’s academy. That, alongside some dedicated one on one training sessions with his dad, led to Armstrong earning his youth team scholarship, a moment which Armstrong admits got him “a little too excited”. “I was buzzing,” he says. “As a young kid, I think I probably got a little bit too excited being in and around the first team. We saw them every day and it made you think you weren’t too far away from making that step up but in reality, you’re miles from it.” At this time, Middlesbrough’s academy had just been recognised as a ‘Category One academy’ the highest standard. It meant Boro’s youngsters would come up against teams with the same status; the likes of Chelsea, Manchester United, Arsenal etc… About Town I 27
Armstrong’s team struggled and when his scholarship came to an end, he wasn’t offered a professional deal but Ron Bone told the striker they’d always keep an eye on him, (something worth remembering for later).
Clark, Birmingham City offered Armstrong a one year deal and a chance. However, just a couple of months after the striker’s arrival, Clark had been sacked and Armstrong was way down the pecking order.
Following his release, Armstrong assumed a League Two or even League One club would be straight in for the young attacker. He trialled at so many clubs but it wasn’t working out.
Armstrong admits he was “feeling the pressure” to find a club, wanting to make it as a footballer just like his dad but he makes clear that Alun was happy to support him in whatever career he pursued.
There were players two/three years older than him fighting for that same spot. They were bigger, stronger and more experienced than Armstrong and it made for a tough period. “ I got sick of the trials, to be honest,” Armstrong confesses. “I remember speaking to my dad at that point saying I wasn’t sure how many more I could take. I was sick of being the new guy walking into the changing rooms. My dad knows football and he was honest with us and said I just needed to play at whatever level I could or find a youth club and work up the pyramid again.” Out of the blue and under the leadership of Lee 28 I About Town
It was a case of if he was going to commit to the dream, expect his dad to be on him to make sure he was doing everything possible. The next step for Armstrong was to find a club and play football. That came in Scotland’s third division, over three hours away from where he lived. He played two trial games for Cowdenbeath and signed on but the logistics weren’t right. Armstrong was “earning pennies” from playing and it was the same if not less than the cost of travel to get to the Eastern part of Scotland. Working at his
dad’s five-a-side centre meant Armstrong would only train once a week, return home at 3 am and then work. Nobody was happy with the situation. Armstrong left the club by January 2016 and was back on the hunt for another, preferably one a little closer to home. He spent roughly six months on loan at Gateshead but he wanted and needed something permanent. “Fed up” of the process of trialling, Armstrong joined Northern Premier League Premier Division side Blyth Spartans. It’s where he would spend the 2016/17 campaign and also play under his dad, who took the role of manager in September that season. A change to a 4-4-2 formation saw Armstrong thrive up top alongside Dan Maguire and the pair helped the Spartans clinch the league title with three games to spare. It would turn out to be a defining moment for Armstrong’s career. It was his first taste of success in the sport, he’d scored over 20 goals in his debut season and he did it with his dad putting faith in his ability. “I started loving the game again,” Armstrong smiles. “That season was when I realised I could achieve something when playing games.”
The striker, who had struggled to even get a trial with National League outfits was now attracting interest from Football League clubs. It was a crazy scenario. Remember Middlesbrough scout Ron Bone? Well, he kept his word to Armstrong and had been keeping tabs on the striker. Bone brought Armstrong into Boro’s under 23s setup and he was now a professional footballer. “I owe a lot to Ron Bone, he was the one who first spotted me and said they’d watch me. You never believe them when they say that but he meant it,” Armstrong adds. “I’d successfully gone and done what they wanted me to do, go and play games.” It was now 2017, Armstrong was 21-years-old and looking to break into the first team at the Riverside. He’d train and occasionally travel with the first team while Tony Pulis was manager but just didn’t manage to do enough to see his name on the team sheet. A loan move was the natural next step and Armstrong admits he had to “swallow his pride” and drop down to the National League where he joined Gateshead for six months. Despite having an eight-week layoff due to injury, the striker
About Town I 29
being 30 lads,” Armstrong explains. “They filtered out eventually but there were so many to pick from. I pulled my hamstring during my first appearance and it took eight weeks for me to get back to full fitness. I ended up scoring a league goal for them and a couple in the trophies but we weren’t playing very well and I wasn’t seeing much of the ball.” Rotation in the Salford team saw Armstrong’s chances diminish and by January he’d been frozen out. Two new strikers arrived that transfer window and then Covid hit. Armstrong celebrates opening the scoring for Hartlepool in the National League Play-Off Final against Torquay
managed 11 goals between the start of the season and January and he describes it as his “best season” when evaluating his performances. It forced the “big change” in Armstrong’s career as suddenly, clubs in League One and League Two wanted to bring the powerful striker in on loan. Armstrong saw League One side Accrington Stanley as the pick of the bunch and joined them for the second half of the 2018/19 season. It was an up and down spell for Armstrong who was experiencing a completely different level of opposition, playing for a side in a relegation battle. At the end of the loan, Armstrong had two years left at Boro and had an honest conversation with the at the time manager Jonathan Woodgate. Now 23-years-old, Armstrong wanted game time and Salford City was the club willing to pay a fee to offer that. Boro believed it would be a great opportunity for Armstrong to be the key man at a club and he believed that as well. He arrived at the Ammies told he would be the player to win them promotion to League One and be the man to continue the journey thereafter. That didn’t happen. “I remember turning up to pre-season with there 30 I About Town
Armstrong returned the following season and started off in the manager’s plans. That was until he was substituted at half time against Exeter, that’s when he knew his time was up. The striker admits he “didn’t play my best football” while at Salford and didn’t enjoy being that far from his hometown but it was a move that just didn’t work out and in January 2020, he joined Hartlepool on loan. If his time at Salford is summed up by not enjoying his football and struggling to perform, his spell at Hartlepool would be the complete opposite. Armstrong was told he would get a run of games but he needed to score goals, Hartlepool were relying on him to return to the Football League. They got on like a house on fire. “I loved it at Hartlepool, it was exactly what I needed,” Armstrong states. “I’d come from a season where I’d played very little and scored very few so I was asking myself whether I could be the man. I scored two on my debut which was a great start and it was a feeling of relief and joy. Those goals gave me belief that I could do it again and I did. The games were constant Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday but it was great to be back playing games again knowing the belief was there from those around me.” Between February and May, Pools went on a sixteen game unbeaten run and won eight
consecutive home games. It led to a fourth-place finish in the National League and the Play-offs. First was Bromley and in front of the fans at Victoria Park, Armstrong and his teammates blew away their opponents in the first half. Three goals in seven minutes - one being from Armstrong looked to have killed the tie but two goals in the second half from Bromley, the latter coming in the 93rd minute, set up for a nervy final few minutes but they got through it. The next game would be against Stockport County and it was the opposite style of game. Both teams sitting back waiting for the other to make a mistake. A goal from Rhys Oates - now at Mansfield Town - in the 76th minute was the decider and set up a final with Torquay United. It was a final that will go down in the history books as one of the craziest
the National League has seen. Torquay had a goal disallowed very early into the contest before Armstrong opened the scoring 20 minutes in and it looked to have settled the nerves within the stadium. In the second half, Torquay had another goal disallowed and it looked like the Gods were in Hartlepool’s favour. That was until a header from Torquay’s goalkeeper Lucas Colovan in the fifth minute of added time sent the game to extra time and then penalties. Four straight penalty misses - including Armstrong’s - began the shoot out before the next six hit the back of the net. The game was decided when a good friend of Armstrong and Pools’ keeper Brad James saved Matt Buse’s effort. It was a match like no other and left Armstrong with so many different emotions. “It was one of the maddest games in my career. Scoring in that game was a feeling on another level, the best I’ve had in my career. The ups and downs were unbelievable. From the lows at Salford to achieving something with Hartlepool and then realising, of course I want to play football for a living. The celebrations that followed were unbelievable. We went back to the hotel with our families and it was just really emotional for everyone. You wouldn’t think a game of football could do that but seeing how proud the families were, it’s what you dream of.” There was little downtime for Armstrong as he knew a permanent move away from Salford was just around the corner. His destination would be Harrogate Town as Simon Weaver saw the attacker as a great fit for Town’s style of play. A key thing for Armstrong when choosing Harrogate was that he could see Weaver “believed” in his players. Something the striker knew was so important for himself. “The way the team plays, nobody wants to play against them. Everyone is fit and plays good football, working hard for every single thing. The team is known for never giving up and the manager believes in players, that’s what I want. People say this is a family club and it really is. The belief we have can take us anywhere so we’ve just got to find a way to keep going. For me, I’m just focusing on each game that comes, that’s all you can do really; do as well as you can each game, reflect on where you can get better and little by little keep on improving.” About Town I 31
V ID EO FE E
32 I About Town
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Simon Power takes us behind the scenes as we reveal our home shirt for the 2021/22 season
TU A
NEW SHIRT LAUNCH
2021/22
HOME SHIRT ON SALE NOW!
Order at harrogatetownafc.com/online-store or visit the Club Store on Commercial Street
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V ID EO FE TU A R E
TOWN LADIES V FARSLEY CELTIC
Our Ladies’ season is also underway under new management and with plenty of new faces in the squad! Carey Huegett’s side kicked off the season with a win! 34 I About Town
V ID EO FE TU A R E
THE ACADEMY
Our new Cat4 Academy is up and running! Here’s an insight into what a matchday entails for our young footballers
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O F F I C I AL B EER
BLACK SHEEP BEST BITTER AVAILABLE AT THE ENVIROVENT STADIUM VISIT THE BREWERY IN MASHAM, NORTH YORKSHIRE #ProudToBeTown @BLACKSHEEPBEER @BLACKSHEEPBREWERY @BLACKSHEEPBREWERY
36 I About Town
BLACKSHEEPBREWERY.COM BLACK SHEEP BREWERY, WELLGARTH, MASHAM, RIPON, HG4 4EN
V ID EO FE TU A R E
In August we announced an exciting new sponsorship deal with Black Sheep Brewery that sees them become the official beer of the club, as well as secure naming rights for our car park terrace About Town I 37
PLAYING SQUAD 2021-22 1
2
Mark
Oxley
6
3
Ryan
Warren
Nathan
21
Diamond
www.harrogatetownafc.com 38 I About Town
20
Jack
Connor
Muldoon
29
Rory
Cracknell
18
Lloyd
McArdle
Joe
Orsi
Kerry
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H: Happy 80th Birthday DavidJack Farrar
Danilo
17
Pattison
Smith
13
Martin
Alex
Sheron
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Aaron
Thomson
Will
Falkingham
10
16
5
Josh
Page
George
Burrell
14
Lewis
Fallowfield
7
4
Hall
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Luke
Armstrong
Simon
Power
Harrogate Town AFC The EnviroVent Stadium Harrogate HG2 7SA
