Simon Weaver has said that his decision to sign younger players during the January transfer window was the right move to make as Harrogate Town‘s EFL status remains under threat.
The Sulphurites have to recover a four-point deficit and overcome an inferior goal difference in order to stay in League Two next season, and with six games remaining in the season, Town are at severe risk of falling back into non-league.
They face a key two-week spell over Easter which could prove pivotal to their chances of survival and face 22nd-placed Newport County in 10 days’ time in a six-pointer that could condemn either side to a bottom two finish.
Weaver Justifies Youth Policy
Town have had a tough season overall and in January made the choice to target younger players from teams in higher divisions rather than find experienced options to try and climb the League Two table.
While that strategy has not delivered much in terms of points since then, Simon Weaver has still been impressed with the efforts of those signings, telling the Harrogate Advertiser:
“I don’t like gambling, but we found ourselves in a situation where we had players with recurring injuries, an ageing squad and an ageing core.
“In January, James Belshaw went to Notts County. It was a good move for him and very local for him and his childhood team he supported.
“It enabled me, with that money, to be able to go on and bring younger players in. They’ve all fared really well, so it’s boosted us. But we do feel that it’s been a strength of ours.
“We’ve got a group of younger players. We always say it’s not the ceiling coming to play for us. Go and play for someone higher and earn bigger wages.”
Their policy to recruit younger was evident in their loss to Notts County at the weekend, with only Liam Gibson being over the age of 21 in the defensive and goalkeeping unit which started the game at Wetherby Road.
Is It A Low Risk Strategy?
As much as it has failed to deliver meaningful results in terms of points, it is not clear-cut to say that Harrogate Town’s January policy has failed to pay off.
Simon Weaver’s side was in need of some revitalisation and their recruitment has given them a much younger profile, which can secure the club’s long-term future with potential earnings from sales.
While they have not taken the best path in order to try and save themselves from the drop, regardless of whether they fall into the National League, they will feel well-placed to develop talents like Chanse Headman and Cathal Hefferman, both of whom have impressed since arriving in North Yorkshire.
Considering the talent and ability of many of the top sides in the fifth tier, the Sulphurites may not be able to immediately challenge for promotion back into the EFL, but in time, their buy-to-sell policy could give them the coffers needed to put together a real push in the near future.
However, they are not down and out with six games remaining to try and pull themselves out of the bottom two, but if they can secure a couple wins, they could do enough to beat some of the other sides around them, such as Tranmere Rovers, who seem to be in freefall.
Crawley Town and Newport County face each other on Good Friday, meaning that if Harrogate can pick up a positive result against Grimsby Town, they can recoup some of the lost ground from last weekend ahead of their own match against the Exiles.
