Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver has called on the club to bounce back after it was relegated from League Two.
Town were beaten 2-1 at home to Barnet on the final day of the season, confirming its relegation to the National League.
The result puts an end to Town’s 6-year stay in the football league, having gained promotion in 2020.
But Simon praised the club’s “brilliant journey” and said the ambition doesn’t stop here.
Speaking after the game, he said:
“It’s important now that we show character straight away.
"I see it as an opportunity for everybody on our side to react well and show our metal as grown ups and as men, and show how to react in adversity and disappointment.
“It’s been a brilliant journey to get to the EFL and something we never dreamt of, but the ambition doesn’t stop because you’ve been bit between the eyes for a season.”
The gaffer put the club’s relegation down to a poor run of form in the first half of the season, which included a run of 20 games without a league victory.
An upturn in form gave Town a fighting chance of survival - just one point from safety heading into the final match against Barnet on Saturday.
But despite a Bryn Morris penalty, Barnet won 2-1 through goals from Callum Stead and an 82-minute winner from substitute Phillip Chinedu.
Simon Weaver said:
“We played some brilliant stuff in the last 20 games and it’s how we react in the summer, how the community reacts, and that will define it because it’s still a new club really, at this level and the level below.
“We’ve got to show our steel throughout and that’s been part of the journey too.”
Watch the full interview here:
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