Harrogate Town have a 'one way ticket' back to non-league football, says manager Simon Weaver

Harrogate Town are now winless in 10 matches following Saturday's 2-1 loss at Colchester United. Pictures:

Simon Weaver has warned his Harrogate Town players that they need to respond immediately with the club currently in possession of a “one-way ticket” back to non-league football.

Saturday’s 2-1 loss at fellow strugglers Colchester United was the Sulphurites’ seventh in their last eight League Two matches and leaves them 22nd in the table, ahead of second-from-bottom Rochdale on goal-difference alone.

This season is only the Wetherby Road outfit’s third-ever in the Football League having spent the entirety of their 106-year history prior to 2020 playing beneath the fourth tier.

But, having plummeted down the standings following a run of 10 games without a win, Town look to be in serious danger of relegation this term.

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver and his assistant, Paul Thirlwell, right, watch on from the sidelines during Saturday's defeat to Colchester United.

And that fact is not lost on their manager, who has admitted that he has to “do better” following his side’s most recent loss of what has been a difficult campaign.

But, having confirmed that he has no intention of “chucking the towel in” and walking away from the task at hand, Weaver insists that now is the time for his troops to wake from their slumber and realise that they have to come out fighting if they are to arrest their tailspin towards the National League.

"We’re in a scrap here and it takes characters, we need people coming out of their shells and fighting for the club, first and foremost,” the Harrogate chief said.

"We’re deadly serious about doing well. There has to be a lightbulb moment, a bottoming out. If there isn’t, we don’t want that relegation word attached to Harrogate Town.

“We want a fightback, we want courage. Players have to realise that and it has to be now.

“We have to bottom out and see these faults, look deeply into the mirror because we’ve got a one-way ticket to going down at the minute because we are nearly men, every single one of us, and we all have to perform so much better than we have been.”

Saturday's defeat at Colchester saw Town go two goals down before half-time as Kwesi Appiah and Frank Nouble found the net.

Danny Grant seized on a mistake to set up Alex Pattison to half the deficit 11 minutes into the second period, though that was as good as it would get for the out-of-form visitors.