Simon Weaver, Tom Lees reveal all after Harrogate's National League return

Their 2-1 home defeat to Barnet was a hammer blow, but long-serving manager Simon Weaver was keen not to dwell on the disappointment.

Weaver told the Non-League Paper in July that there was no way he was going to sulk in bed all day after the club's relegation and instead look ahead to building something stronger next term.

Three months have passed, and although the Sulphurites have played just one game of the new season, the air is doused with optimism.

Simon Weaver reflects on relegation and National League expectations

"It's been a real pre-season of change and reset at the club," Weaver exclusively told DAZN News.

"I think it's been an exciting one really, because we've not had time to wallow in self-pity.

"I know historically clubs have suffered relegation and also suffered a hangover effect within the structure, and everything gets through to players eventually, the mood in the camp and the mood in the building."

Indeed, Weaver is right, as while teams promoted to League Two have flourished the following season, the same cannot be said of those heading in the opposite direction.

Grimsby Town are the only club to return to the fourth tier immediately following relegation in the last decade, having defeated Solihull Moors in the 2021/22 National League play-off final.

In fact, more sides have suffered successive relegations over the same period, with York City (16/17), Scunthorpe United (22/23) and Morecambe (25/26) unable to halt the slide.

However, given the strength of Weaver's squad and the club's emphatic opening-day 5-2 victory over Solihull Moors, they are aiming to buck the trend.

"We've got off to a good start on the first day, no-one's getting carried away," Weaver continued. 

"But we're not saying that we have to [get promoted the first time of asking], we're saying that we would really like it and we're not underestimating anyone.

"We don't have a chip on our shoulder because the vast majority of our town's history has been well below the Conference North, so there's no egos in the building here."

Despite several key players departing Wetherby Road over the summer, including Stephen Duke-McKenna and Anthony O'Connor, the 48-year-old is evidently pleased with recruitment.

Tom Lees opens up on Harrogate Town move

The most experienced head to arrive at the North Yorkshire club is 35-year-old centre-back Tom Lees, who enjoyed 16 successive seasons in the EFL, including long stints with Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday, before opting to join the Sulphurites on a free transfer from Peterborough United.

"I'm really eager to achieve, be winning, playing to win, that's what I want to do," Lees told DAZN News when asked about his switch to Harrogate.

"I don't want to go through the motions with my football and with my career, and the moment that I stop wanting to win and I've not got that hunger to win, then I stop playing. 

"I just felt that what was on offer here in terms of, do I go somewhere and play another year for playing another year's sake or the project that was sold to me at Harrogate and what they're looking to do over the next few years was something that was more than football.

"It gave me a lot of drive, gave me a lot of purpose. Obviously it's not great that the club got relegated last season but the challenge to come to the club and try and get us back into the football league was a big one and with it being local to me, I felt like, being part of this project at the club over the next few years, when it's getting started now, at the beginning of the process, was something that was really exciting. 

"When I just weighed it up compared to the options that I had, I just felt that this was the one that filled me with the most energy and the most motivation, so that's why I chose it."

Weaver and Harrogate's special connection

Weaver is one of the longest-serving managers in the National League, having spent just under 17 years at Harrogate in roles as a player-coach and manager.

From the outside, people might question Weaver's hunger and motivation after so long at the helm, but when speaking to him face-to-face, the enthusiasm is there for all to see.

"In terms of motivation, it's been a massive part of my life, football, and I don't want to be outside it, to be honest. It brings stress, it brings a rollercoaster ride, but that's part of me enjoying that thrill.

"I love my job, and I love seeing young players doing well, moving on, whilst obviously we hope to do well ourselves as a club and make the town proud.

"My fondest memory was, despite not having fans, actually, going up at Wembley through the play-offs and beating Notts County. That was a magical time.

"As I say, it was Covid; we had no fans, but there were some emotional scenes through videos of people watching. That was wonderful.

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"To go up again would just blow my head off, really, with the excitement at the door and the pride."

While recent history suggests that achieving promotion at the first attempt would be a Herculean effort, it feels that Harrogate have the right manager and players to follow in Grimsby's footsteps and spring back to League Two.

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