Even 15 years ago I could not have anticipated that in 2024 I would be the outcome of of a league match between Rovers and a league team representing Harrogate. Harrogate Railway had a run in the FA Cup a few years back and I imagined that they were now embodied into the present league team. But I was wrong; they have their own independent history having stared life as Harrogate Hotspur, no less, in 1919. With a name like that you would have thought that they should have had the courage to keep it - they are also rather closer to Northumberland than Tottenham.
So irrespective of the 15 years, would I have been thinking that the current form of the team in question is such that they will constitute a tough assignment - even for our resurgent Rovers? Within the last month they have beaten Notts County and Accrington at home plus Grimsby (A) drawn away at Morecambe and not longer ago held Wrexham to a draw at home, so they are respectably mid-table.
I will leave it at that for the time being because it is January and we know what that might bring and the thread will be open for comments.
DPL v Harrogate Town
posted on 5/1/24
It was pronounced locally as “Dewboys” of course and he was a winger who was not a regular, but I do remember him as taking penalties in the same way as Peter Doherty - side footed always sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. But then fewer penalties were missed and you’ll remember lots of goalkeepers were not even 6 feet tall, Ken Hardwick for example.
posted on 6/1/24
My old mum used to pick teams with "r" as the third letter in their name when she was doing the "pools" years ago. So I'll go 2-2 too! The Rovers train is on the move. Molyneaux or Rowe.
posted on 6/1/24
Another "cup half full" from me. A 2-1 win away from home for the Rovers. Ironside for the first, Rowe if Ironside doesn't start.
posted on 6/1/24
Harrogate 1-2 Rovers
Ironside to score ⚽
posted on 6/1/24
Well, I suppose we have the advantage of a free Saturday afternoon to reflect on the collapse that part of me had difficulty in actually imagining.
Until they scored their 3rd we had 16 shots on goal and 2 on target which compared with their 6 and 2 on target. This is almost pathetic, but after they’d scored we had just 1 shot missing the target and they doubled their tally with half of them on target. They really need to improve - some of it must be related to technique and being composed. 7 out of every 8 is lamentable.
What is wrong with their mentality???
Jones “could have done better” for the third and went down on “slow motion”, too late, for the second according to witnesses. When will his incompetence be visible to those who select him to play? When will the majority of the fans recognise his limitations? It must be demoralising for the rest of the team to see him fail in his job so regularly.
posted on 6/1/24
McCann needs to replace Jones and Olowu pdq.
posted on 7/1/24
I'm putting this up, not because I was the only "scorer", but because the more data I have to examine the more likely I am to make mistakes.
Harrogate 3 : Rovers 1 (Rowe)
>>>>>>> Scorer Score > Result Bonus > Total >>> Pts B/F >>> O/all
Donaldo>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>> 3 >>>>> 48 >>>>>> 51
PDXMickey> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 68 >>>>>> 68
BVZ>>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>>> 0
Crazy>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 69 >>>>> 69
Mooligan>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 41 >>>>>> 41
Nookie>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 66 >>>>>> 66
Selby>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>>> 0
>>>>>>>>> 0 >>>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>> 0 >>>>> 3 >>>>> 292 >>>>>> 295
posted on 9/1/24
Another one signed and after so many disappointing recruits it is not surprising that there is no excited anticipation. Carty prompted a good deal of optimism, but I don’t remember his name even mentioned in the commentary at Harrogate.
At least there is no burden of expectation on the Spurs loanee, so perhaps, in a team which is so unpredictable, except in its capacity to generate false hope, he’ll just play. With a PL loanees we might expect fitness and quick thought which puts him well ahead of most of his teammates.
posted on 9/1/24
Of the loanees, this one seems to have more promise looking at his experience. Although this is his first loan, he has had a few minutes playing for Spurs' first team and trains with them. However, we will have to wait and see as some other U21 internationals have not been as good as we had hoped.
posted on 10/1/24
I’ve read the bit about his training regime and his actual 1st team experience. But I had to stifle the encouraging feeling it generated because I feel I’ve been let down so many times recently. I won’t lose my underlying faith, but I just can’t bear yet another disappointment.