Harrogate Town 2-2 Sutton United (2018)

Harrogate Town 2-2 Sutton United
Vanarama National League
Saturday 4th August 2018

The first time I watched Harrogate Town, they got battered 5-0 at Droylsden in September 2009 and, by the end of that season, only problems elsewhere at other clubs stopped them from being relegated from the Conference North.

A year later, when I next saw them in action, they were comfortably dispatched again - this time suffering a 3-0 reverse on home soil to AFC Telford United in the FA Trophy.

Only in the 2012/13 campaign did I see them win a game for the first time and even that was in somewhat unusual circumstances as they cruised to a 6-1 'home' success over Corby Town at the Keepmoat Stadium (some 40 miles from Harrogate) which hosted the game due to the Wetherby Road pitch being severely affected by the harsh winter. All the goals came in the second half and the attendance that night was just 99!

Fast-forward just over five more years to August 2018 and, as well as having changed their club crest and built a new terrace at Wetherby Road (stood on for the first time when Leeds United visited in a pre-season friendly in July 2015 - another game which I saw), and Harrogate's fortunes on the pitch had also changed remarkably. They'd just won promotion to non-league's top tier for the first time having beaten Brackley Town in the National League North Play-Off Final, and a big crowd was expected for their season-opener against Sutton United.

Ahead of the game I remember checking their fan forums to get a general consensus of the mood and expectations around the club and there were mixed views. Some fans were cautious and expected a tough campaign partly due to the fact other local teams such as Halifax, York, Guiseley and North Ferriby had all suffered relegation from the same division in the previous few years. Others were more optimistic and believed mid-table consolidation was entirely possible and there were also the 'eternal optimists' who thought that the 4G playing surface might help them get further up the table.

What probably nobody expected, however, was that almost two years to the day (and at the time of writing) Harrogate would be preparing for a Play-Off Final against Notts County in the knowledge that a win will take them up to the Football League.

Anyway, I'd booked tickets online a few days beforehand and was very much looking forward to the game with Sutton who themselves had proven to be 'decent fodder' in the National League over the previous couple of years. Unfortunately though perhaps unsurprisingly, by the time I arrived just after 2.00pm, match programmes had already sold-out.

Harrogate had a decent squad at the time including some players with Doncaster connections such as Joe Leesley and Callum Howe. Jack Muldoon, who was in the youth set-up at DRFC and played alongside Howe at Lincoln - helping the Imps to become National League champions in 2016/17, had just been signed from AFC Fylde. Elsewhere, they had George Thomson - a dynamic goal-scoring midfielder with a good record at FC United and Chester, plus a plethora of players who'd helped them win promotion the previous season. Their 'experienced head' came in the shape of ex-Shrewsbury and Northampton player Kelvin Langmead.

On a sunny afternoon with 1,378 inside Wetherby Road (or the CNG Stadium as it's officially called), the hosts started brightly and pressed with intent inside the opening half-hour but weren't able to get a reward for their efforts as the woodwork twice thwarted them. Instead, very much against the run of play, Harrogate's 'keeper James Belshaw cut a frustrated figure when Sutton's Charlie Clough got his head to a dangerous free-kick from out wide and directed the ball into the back of the net - sparking celebrations from the 80 or so visiting fans directly behind the goal.

The second half saw Town regain their composure and continue to press with intent, nonetheless, and after Muldoon levelled close to the hour mark, it looked as if they would make the perfect start to life at a higher level when Langmead struck with just a few minutes remaining to put them 2-1 up. But it wasn't to be though, because on the brink of injury-time referee Simon Mather spotted a handball inside the Harrogate area and duly awarded Sutton a spot-kick which was calmly converted by Jamie Collins following a short delay.

A few weeks later I made another impromptu trip back to North Yorkshire to see the clash with Solihull Moors which ended in a deserved 3-1 win for Harrogate - an occasion which also saw 'Harry Gator' (a dinosaur) unveiled as the new club mascot, whilst on a third visit in 2018, Simon Weaver's team were on the wrong end of a 2-1 scoreline against Fylde.

Whatever happens in this Sunday's Play-Off Final against Notts County, there's no doubt that Harrogate have made remarkable progress in the past few years and should be proud of their achievements. They certainly haven't struggled to make their mark at a higher level.