‘Meeting the opposition’ – Harrogate Town F.C
On Tuesday night, Tranmere Rovers will play host to the recently promoted Harrogate Town in a League Two encounter at Prenton Park. With that in mind, I placed questions towards their @FootieFansView correspondent James O’Reilly @OReillySport. I thought it would be interesting to see the thoughts of a fan who’s club will soon face Rovers, to get his opinions of the Whites as well as his thoughts on the position of the Sulphurites at the moment, on and off the pitch; amongst other subjects.
How long have you been a fan of Harrogate? How did you find out about the club?
I grew up around Bradford and Leeds, Harrogate were always a club on everyone’s radar. However, with them being a lot lower down in the divisions they never seemed to get the coverage they most probably deserved. It was only in recent years that I started to take more of an interest in them.
Where did Harrogate finish last season?
Town got promoted last year, they’re a Football League team for the first time in their history now (I believe). They came up through the playoffs and beat Notts County 3-1 at Wembley. County is a club that I’d love to see back in the EFL one day, I’m just glad this didn’t come at Harrogate’s expense!
What are your thoughts on your current manager?
Simon Weaver is the gaffer. He’s the owner’s son but he’s more than earned his place. Understandably, being the son of the chairman is something that I imagine earns him favour behind the scenes but Simon is still young and as promising as the squad he coaches. I can see him being at the helm for years to come and that isn’t something to be disappointed about.
What are your thoughts on your owner?
Irving Weaver is the owner currently. I think it’s quite hard to talk about anything negative really, given the position the club finds themselves in now. They’ve come from the Conference North to League Two in just over a decade, it’s really quite something.
What are your expectations for this season? What are your thoughts on the campaign so far?
The expectation has to be survival. I think that’s the case for any newly promoted side. Dreaming big is great, obviously, but at the end of the day you can’t complain if your team comfortably survives in the first season in a new league especially one that they’ve never played in. I think the campaign so far is going okay. Losses are frustrating, obviously, but so long as Town maintain at least a decent form as they have done for the majority of the first half as the season then they’ll have nothing to worry about.
What players will pose the most threat to Tranmere on Tuesday night?
Jack Muldoon! He’s just cracked double figures for the season in goals. He’s a physical player with enough pace and ability to justify his place in the side, he can be a brilliant player to watch. I also think that Brendan Kiernan is worth noting. I’m not overly sure on what the numbers say, but anytime I’ve seen him, particularly in central attacking midfield he seems to be everywhere.
What is your score prediction for the League fixture at Prenton Park?
Given how similar the stats are for goals scored and conceded between the sides, I wouldn’t be surprised if the result was a draw. Albeit, Tranmere have won their last two where as we’ve been picking up draws. I’ll say we’re going to continue to improve our form, I’ll go for a 2-1 Town win. Muldoon and McPake to score for us.
Random fact about Harrogate?
Harrogate has long been famous for their sulphur springs, hence the nickname ‘Sulphurites’, which is definitely an odd one at first.
Proudest moment as a fan of the club?
It has to be the promotion to League Two. Regardless of the fans’ ecstasy, the rest of Leeds were proud of them. Leeds and Harrogate don’t seem to share a rivalry, even though they are so close to each other geographically, so seeing a city overall in support was great.
What is your opinion on Rovers?
I think Tranmere are a solid side. It’s good to see them pushing for promotion, especially in a season where about half the league seems to be! I think it’d be good to see them in a playoff push, over Salford maybe. That’s probably just my Yorkshire biased coming into it though. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Tranmere to be in the playoffs come the end of the season.
- Jack Muldoon, an experienced striker who has fifteen goal involvements in 25 games this campaign. A physical and fast threat to the Tranmere backline, if he is to play.
I would like to thank James @OReillySport for his time answering the questions that I placed towards him. This league encounter should be an interesting occasion and I hope that readers enjoyed this Q+A.
Thank you very much for reading,
Stay safe and relatively sane,
Ethan Hoijord