Two ex-Reds on show last night - Harrogate Town v Salford City

https://www.harrogatetownafc.com/news-media/town-v-salford/

Top of the table clash, National League (North). I couldn't get to the game because I was working but I thought some might be interested in where two of our former players are now.

Bailey Gooda made his first appearance for Harrogate. Mike Phenix scored for Salford.

I know that neither of them made it for us but it's nice to see ex-players at a decent level. Both teams could get promoted this season and then it is only one more step to the football league.

 

Phenix from the flames... sorry I'll get me coit...

 

Always a goalscorer, until he came to us. Not really given a chance though, or just not up to standard.

It must be a very small percentage of players who step up from non league and make a success of it.

 

Yes, that is why Hecky's achievements are pretty amazing, taking non league & L2 players. A few don't make it, but we have a lot of success stories. Didn't see much of either of these two.

 

Salford are now a fully professional outfit and with Scholes, Giggs, Butt and the Neville brothers as co-owners
with a Mr Lim they are putting money in to achieve the dream of Championship football within 15 years.
Good to see former players giving something back to the game. The Class of '92 have also said that one day they
would like to take Man Utd over.

 

we've seen the phrase "not really given a chance" used frequently on here lately, hecky sees these players every day in training, or gets regular sit-reps if they are out on loan. he was given a chance, every player gets as much as a chance as everyone else.

id favour the "not up to standard" which is going to happen for the most part, good luck to anyone who can jump from no league to the championship, it was hard enough when we were playing in league one!

 

It wasn't, in any way, a dig at the management - I don' t do that. I was just pointing out the fact that neither player made the grade for whatever reason that might be. I remember Phenix coming in and lots of us being optimistic that we had uncovered a pearl from the depths. He obviously didn't do enough to force his way up the pecking order so had to go, and that's exactly how it should be.

I think Gooda was just another of those promising juniors that look good at that level but never step up. Good luck to both these lads anyway - I wish them well.

 

For every Phenix there's a MacDonald, but if we didn't try with non-league players we'd never find any gems. Good to see the players' careers haven't gone to waste and they're building their way back up again. Three examples: George Smith left us and went to Gateshead, but clearly impressed and signed back in L1 for Northampton; Christian Dibble never made the grade, went to Chelmsford in the National League South and now is in the National League with Wrexham; and Gooda as you say, was with Frickley last year and has moved up a level to Harrogate Town

 

Harrogate have made a great start to the season with last night being the first defeat. They received a blow last week though when leading scorer Simon Ainge found that he needs a groin operation. He is on 9 goals already - not bad for an ex defender.

The setup at Wetherby Road is very good and they installed a 4g pitch last year. There were over a thousand there last night.

 

I watch Harrogate Town quite a bit when the Reds aren't playing. One or two decent players come and go but they've gone professional now with hopes of promotion. The game they play is at a fast pace getting the ball to the wingers and in to the top two. However, for years they've flattered to deceive and fallen short at the play off stage. There's a lot of money at this level too. Last year AFC Fylde walked it but ploughed serious money in and some of the Harrogate players are on circa £1k a week. With teams such as Salford, York City, Halifax and Stockport in the league it's going to be tough and I think they'll fall short again this season.

 

I agree and losing Ainge is a problem for them. I don't often get there because too many matches clash with Reds games or my working schedule but it's usually a good atmosphere