Cojones
Harrogate Town 3-0 Hornchurch (National League)
A spa town famed for its water, the home of Bettys Tea Rooms, the heart of Yorkshire, it’s one I’ve passed through on occasion, I may have even stopped off here once, but other than a quick passing by of the Marcy Fitness Stadium on Wetherby Road, it’s a ground I’ve not yet been to, so I’m excited to chalk this one off my list.
Last year I watched Harrogate Town in an FA Cup defeat at Mansfield, by then already they looked a sorrow sight, low down in League Two with relegation on the cards.
This season, reboot and refresh, Simon Weaver has been in charge since 2009 and has seen promotion from the National North in 2018 and National League in 2020 to sit six years in the Football League, he’s trusted to get the Sulphurites back into the 92 again and his boys have been going well, second at the start of the day, having won seven and drawn one of their eleven league games so far.
Hornchurch are a club that have came up the other way, promoted from the National League South they have former Leyton Orient & Stevenage midfielder Darryl McMahon in charge and have being doing ok thus far, tenth in the division with six wins and five defeats which has them on 18 points in their first ever campaign at the level.
Formed in 1881, the club has had a few reincarnations over past years, most notably in 2005 after dropping out of the National League South halfway through the season in 2004. AFC Hornchurch initially joined the Essex Senior League and played mostly in the Isthmian League until promotion in 2024, they spent just two seasons in the National League South ahead of playoff success last season where they beat Torquay United after extra time in a thrilling contest to secure a second promotion in three years.
It’s sunny, warm, the weather unusual for this time of year as I set off for 11am a two hour journey north, up the M1, M18 and A1 coming off at Wetherby and through Spofforth up the A661.
The Venue
It’s a busy old thoroughfare is Wetherby Road, as I slowly pass the grounds for the Great Yorkshire Show, the stadium is on the right but I pull up a couple of streets ahead to park and walk the remainder, a quaint and leafy five minute jaunt past Willow Tree Primary School where the Hornchurch AFC bus is parked, my final few yards pass some nice detached houses before the ground appears, backing on to the busy single carriageway which trudges along itself at walking pace.
The metal stands back on to the lane behind bushes, I think to myself ‘if you’re cheeky enough you can probably jump over and get in for free’ but luckily I’m in for free anyway today, as I walk through a door marked ‘VIP Collections & Matchday Tickets’.
The greeting is friendly as not only am I presented with a lanyard and ticket I’m pointed in the direction of my seat, right in the centre of the Marcy Fitness Stand which hogs half way, roofed and yellow seated, the ground looks spectacular in the sunshine, sloping wing to wing, cosy and quaint with a mixture of terracing and seating under various roofs for fans to choose.
Everybody is friendly, as I grab myself a cup of tea and a Boost chocolate bar, ahead of sitting myself in the press seats, radio comms and PA announcers all behind, Opta style statisticians either side, one from Oz who I may have seen before, is friendly as we chat about venues we’ve been to previously, he lives in Leeds, a Spurs fan, who frequently covers Huddersfield and Bradford, it’s his first match at Harrogate this season.
The view is good, cosy and a bit tight but mod cons with flip down tables and power points, I’m even using the clubs free wi-fi which is much better than most, as the fans start to circle in, there’s a lot of flat caps and grey hair, I suspect most won’t be needing to use any of the internet provided today.
The Game
The sun is scorching down and I’m facing southwest which means it’s going to be in my face anytime soon, as Harrogate get the game underway and race straight towards goal and immediately win a corner.
Their inventive early set play however nearly backfires as Sandat for Hornchurch somehow breaks away with the ball, he’s like a big Locomotive steam train running forward at full pelt without any real speed as two intercity mark 4’s come hearing past to take the ball away.
It’s about as far forward as Hornchurch get in a first half dominated by the diminutive midfield of Harrogate, it’s all tippy tappy nicely nicely as Morgan Williams and his mini midfield partner Will McGowan get on the ball and dictate, very inventive as they patiently start moves getting the ball from their back three into the engine, and on to the likes of Bailey Hobson and Josh Hmami who really likes to run at defenders.
It’s all the home team as Hmami is shoved to the ground off the ball by frustrated Hornchurch full back Aaron Rowe, there’s anger in the crowd as Hmami lies on the floor hands on face with play still going on, “you don’t know what you’re doing” and “rubbish lino, did you not see that” are shouted from those sat in front of me, as the game continues, Williams pokes a ball into Dolaghan who’s tripped, a penalty is awarded and Rowe is booked for his earlier misdemeanour.
It looks soft, my thoughts are that it was given based on fans being already irate, had the Ref not blew for that, I suspect we would have had uproar.
But sort of justice is done. Arthur Nasta has been getting ironic jeers from the crowd after kicking three successive goal kicks out of play, but he guesses right with Dolaghan’s spot kick, perhaps he’s not in the side for his kicking, after all.
Hornchurch are 5-3-2 and have came north with a game plan, it seems to be working as I hear one fan begin to mumble “this is the sort of game we’ll dominate and they’ll get one chance and win it” but the hosts are good, in fact too good, they look solid in all departments today and it seems to be only a matter of time, Dolaghan still running around in attack despite his penalty miss, Williams and McGowan still dictating, Hobson and Hmani still probing, the back three relatively untroubled.
The Score
On 36 a free kick is won, about 30 yards out but I’m right behind it, a great view, as Williams looks over right footed, I fancy him, I really do, he’s been brilliant for half an hour and he looks to have it in his locker, so as he strolls up and curls one into the top corner, I’m the least surprised person around as the fans jump in front of me to celebrate.
It’s a goal they deserve into half time and although Hornchurch make a substitution at the break, it’s not the one I thought they would make, as Aaron Rowe on a booking, already having a hard time against Josh Hmami, continues, Jack Baldwin replaces Frankie Edwards at centre half, like for like, unadventurous, it seems that Darryl McMahon is happy to continue with his structured but passive game plan.
And it nearly pays off early doors as Will Greenidge whips in a ball from the left wing, an awkward bounce inside the Harrogate box has it land on the head of George Alexander who can’t direct towards target, a scare, a chance, the best and only chance of note, Hornchurch will get all day.
Harrogate make it two on the hour when a neat move down the left is crossed by Bristow, finished off by Will McGowan who arrives late to place home from inside the area, and five minutes later a lovely move of double digit pass completions ends from almost all involved in yellow, with Bristow again on the move forward crossing low to fellow wing-back Lewis Cass who slides home at the back post, a brilliant goal, a brilliant move, Harrogate looking like a brilliant football team.
There’s plenty to go as the away side immediately make three changes, the home side then do a quadruple substitution themselves, this takes the sting out of the game, Harrogate by now dominant, in full control, but at a slow lethargic tempo, whilst Hornchurch are simply playing for the sake of playing, waiting for that whistle to be blown, before they can be put out of misery, and get back on their long journey home.
The Stars
It’s a brilliant performance from Harrogate who from front to back really impress me, a much changed vibe and look to what I saw last season when they were beaten at Mansfield, as they dominate, dictate, and create.
Apparently this season they have had goals from all sources, Bailey Hobson brilliant in recent weeks, less so today, who’s turn instead was that of Morgan Williams who I found to be the best player on the park (and rewarding of being voted man of the match too). Short in size but stacked of quality, he looked for inventive passes in the final third and linked well with the even smaller Will McGowan who looks on the same intellectual wavelength, busy, industrious, creative, whilst Josh Hmami has that swagger wide left to float in field and combine offensively too.
Defensively Harrogate look solid, they have let in just six goals in their last eight games and have Grant Horton, Sam Dreyer and Archie Baptiste (who I really like the look of) operating as a solid three, whilst getting forward from wing backs, Ethan Bristow on the left was very good on the ball, he’s better than National League level, whilst Lewis Cass gave plenty of effort out right rewarded by his work with a goal.
Brad Dolaghan worked hard as the front man with plenty of determination but I enjoyed a late cameo from his replacement and crowd favourite Shawn McCoulsky who probably gave more free kicks away than he had touches, often clattering into defenders, he’s a real bulldozer of an attacker and although he probably won’t score many goals, he’ll provide plenty of food for thought for opponents and you can certainly see why the fans like him.
As for Hornchurch, little for their few fans in the away end to celebrate on a day where they were second best across the park. Ryan Innis is a good signing for them at centre half and defended well offering voice and experience along with a bit of tenacity, I think the two wing backs they have, Greenidge and Rowe both offer athleticism and good size and strength, whilst Jack Powell was their go to ball sprayer, their best most promising player looks to be Henry Sandat, just 21, a big unit in midfield with some lovely elegance, whilst in attack Dominic Poleon has had better games, I thought Josh Walker came on and worked well, offering more of a threat as the game wandered into later less hostile stages when all changes had been made.
The Verdict
Will Harrogate go up? Is the question? My response, can they play like that, on a cold wet night in Hornchurch? For example? Will they dictate in away games as much as they might do at home? I love the way they dominate proceedings and patiently play the ball around at ease, but against bigger and stronger opposition (like Boreham Wood who beat them 4-1) can they learn to mix it enough? Let’s be clear, Hornchurch didn’t trouble them today, and didn’t look like they came to mix it either, which might have played into the hands of the home side who do play some lovely football.
I do think having watched them just once, that Harrogate will certainly have enough quality to reach the playoffs, whilst I also think they'll be better from Hornchurch, who in reality, would have looked at this fixture at the start of the season, and expected nothing from the game.
The Urchins ambition is very much different from Harrogate’s this season, stay in the division, is probably their remit, and I think they might be looking over their shoulders at some point, but I believe they have a good enough collection of players, they have a good enough manager, they also have a horrible enough home with a running track and not much else around that many opponents won’t enjoy going to, which they can use to advantage.
Whether Harrogate will immediately return to League Two for me will depend (as it always does) on those cold nights away from home in December and January, midst a few injuries and when backs are probably going to be up against the walls, I want to then see the sort of cojones they shown recently in wins at Hartlepool and Scunthorpe, and if they do show them regularly enough, they certainly have a chance of going up.
The Teams
Harrogate Town: Luke Hutchinson, Ethan Bristow (Ellis Taylor 77), Archie Baptiste, Will McGowan (George Thomson 77), Morgan Williams, Bailey Hobson (Michael Craig 80), Sam Dreyer, Josh Hmani (Ciaran McGuckin 77), Brad Dolaghan (Shawn McCoulsky 77), Lewis Cass, Grant Horton.
Hornchurch: Arthur Nasta, Will Greenidge (Henry Hearn 80), Ryan Innis, Jack Powell, Tom Dallison, Henry Sandat, George Alexander (Angelo Balanta 66), Dom Poleon (Josh Walker 66), Frankie Edwards (Jack Baldwin 46), Aaron Rowe (Myles Weston 66), Alfie Massey.
3:00pm Kick Off. Saturday 4th October 2026, Wetherby Road, Harrogate (2,512).
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