As I had mentioned a week or two ago this was one of the two friendlies that I was praying for having only recently been a Harrogate resident. The other one comes up on Tuesday and will be even better, being only five miles from where I live now. I was sort of dreading what I would find though having read the awful weather reports (90% chance of heavy rain, all afternoon). I rang the club late morning and was assured the match would be on so it was a lovely surprise to find that the biblical torrents of rain hadn't materialised at all. Wetherby Road, as it used to be called, is now a very neat little ground with new stands surrounding a perfect playing surface with very decent supporters attending matches there. I was disappointed to hear our behind the goal crowd come out with the unpleasant chants at the beginning of the match, but fortunately they didn't keep it up. I suppose the drink had something to do with that. Anyway it was a very pleasant surprise to read the team sheet - at last the first team were getting a pre-season runout. I was especially looking forward to our new signings but it was from an unexpected quarter that the first goal came. New full back Nat Ogbeta who has been criticised on here already took the first of many excellent corners in the 7th minute and returning loanee Jack Shepherd met it with Mick McCarthy-esque power and his perfect header hit the back of the net giving their keeper no chance. This was a great start and we continued to dominate the first 15 or 20 minutes. Unfortunately we then let Harrogate back in the game and they had a lot of joy, especially down our right flank, where MDG seemed to get pulled out of position far to often. A better side would have punished us for our lax defending but the lads held out and got in some timely blocks and good headers away from Robbo and Shep. I was thinking to myself that DKD was a bit quiet when he suddenly burst through their defence and laid off a perfect ball for debutant David McGoldrick and he proved what a master craftsman he is with a delicate chip over the advancing keeper. 2-0 lead and richly deserved now that we had seized the initiative back. There were other chances as well which were mostly hit wide or over the bar but it was good to see the attacking intent on show and I was purring watching DMcG playing lovely passes himself and turning their defenders at will. On the passing front by the way there were a good few sprayed long distance passes from defenders or midfield to the wings and all seemed to land at their target's feet so he didn't have to break step. I was pleased to see that we didn't make five or six changes at the break as that would have destroyed our momentum. It was surely only a matter of time before Neil Farrugia or Reyes Cleary made something of the space they were getting. It was a total shock though when Neil cut through their defence and got to a crossing position near the bye line but was then violently propelled into the fence/hoardings below our fans. I couldn't see exactly what had happened from across the pitch (in one of the home stands) but it looked a bad one. He was down for ages before being helped off, looking badly shaken. The referee declined to even book their player which gave the rest of his team carte blanche to rip into out players at will for the rest of the half. Very poor to see a team playing like this in a pre-season friendly and I would hope their long-serving manager, Simon Weaver, has the decency to apologise to Conor for their shocking tactics. The game was still interesting even though we made several changes in that second half and nobody let the side down. All the young lads gave good accounts of themselves, none more so than Vimal Yoganathan who strode forward onto the end of another superb DKD pass to rifle the ball into the top corner for our third goal. It's hard to single out a MOM but I would give it jointly to DKD and DMcG who could well form a dynamic partnership this season. I hope we bring in at least one more forward to complement their classy endeavours. They were both different class today and I'm sure the home fans will have noticed that as well. I liked the look of all our new players on show. Cleary has a good physique as well as pace and looks like a good signing; Ogbeta was not really tested down the left but what he did, he did well, especially his corner taking. Dare I say it? Bobby Downes class, if you remember that? Shepherd seems to have grown in stature following his year at Valley Parade and I can see him being a regular alongside Robbo. Bland played well in Connell's position with a willingness to tackle and get forward whenever he could. I'd love to say that Phillips played well but I didn't really notice him much. Overall a good day out and it was great to see the Reds in action again. I missed too many games last season but I can see me being there for more this term. Finally, I KNOW it was only a friendly, against very unfriendly opposition, but it really was a pleasure to watch and I am hoping for a repeat performance at the LNER on Tuesday night. I shall be amongst our fans this time, in one of the seats. I would have been today but there were no seats left when I looked.
Thanks for the report. Personally I take all friendlies with a pinch of salt, win lose or draw. Good to see the new guys looking bright already. I still think we’re very light in the squad though.
Yes I'm sure we are but not that far away from a competitive squad, in my opinion. Always room for improvement but that was an entertaining game, for me at any rate. It's not often you can say that in the last year, is it?
Cheers PoR - much appreciated. I see that Harrogate lost in their previous home game to Rotherham 0-3 so that provides a little more context to where we are.
Thanks for your kind words. Some years ago I used to write regular match reports but this was when I was southern-based and got to a lot of away games. I’ve always enjoyed writing and have never found it difficult getting the words down. Being a rapid typist helps as well. Pick up a pen - I’m all over the place. A keyboard is a different matter though.
Enjoyed your write up. I also went to the game. Obviously a game of opinions but I thought Shepherd started well but contributed to a few shaky moments during our lull after 20mins with a few wayward passes. One in particular nearly cost us a goal when he passed to one of their players on the edge of our box. I’d rather he get them out of the way during preseason but he needs to cut them out of his game when the season starts as errors like that could cost us. I thought Yoganathan, Graham, Farrell and Cleary all showed promise and talent but also looked very raw. Currently they’re either squad players or potential candidates for league 2 loans. They’re not the answer just yet and further signings are badly needed. Bland looked great to me. He didn’t catch the eye with anything fancy but that’s what I liked about him, he just went about his business, made his tackles, picked sensible passes, and was very tidy on the ball. He’s going to be a big player for us this season I think. Final player I’d pick out is McGoldrick. Who was my MOM. He just looked cut above. Scored a classy goal and his link up play was exceptional. I also liked how he told a few players off in part and was also in the ref’s ear following Farugias injury. We’ve missed that seniority amongst the team. To conclude…It’s preseason. There were pros and cons across the pitch. A wins a win but it’s really just a training drill against lower league opposition. At least four signings are desperately needed. A RB, two wingers and a CB for me, but we knew that going into the game. I will say that the future looks bright under Hourihane, he’s clearly giving youth a chance, trying different things and getting the team fit and organised. I wish him every success.
A good match report, shows that the pen really is mightier than the sword lol. I know these are only friendlies against lower league teams etc. But maybe a decent bit of transfer business in the next fortnight, could improve us further. I/we can only hope!.
For the right back, there has been a rumour that we have had two bids for Haji Mnoga of Salford turned down. I wonder of there is any truth in Tovide, or Vickers. Both would strengthen the side in necessary positions. I can't see the McCauley Langstaff one coming off unless we get a shed load of cash from a sale such as Connell to Wycombe. Let's hope for a sudden burst of activity this coming fortnight
Obviously they’re all just rumours and some less reliable sources than others. But hypothetically, if we were to sign Mnoga, Tovide and Vickers then the squad would suddenly look much more competitive. With the youngsters on hand for cover.
It’s wishful thinking to think we’ll get the 4 players in we need before the Plymouth game infact based on the struggles we’ve had this summer I’d say another 4 players before September 1st will be an achievement.