Harrogate’s Rachel Daly among winners at Pride of Britain awards

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly was among the winners at this week’s Pride of Britain awards.

Daly was part of the England women’s football team that beat Germany 2-1 in the final of Euro 2022 this year.

At a ceremony hosted by Ashley Banjo and Carol Vorderman, the team received a special award for inspiring girls to play football.

Rachel Daly Pride of Britain awards

Pic: Rachel Daly Instagram

The ceremony was held at London’s Grosvenor House on Monday and broadcast on ITV last night.

The Daily Mirror’s Pride of Britain recognise extraordinary achievements by ordinary people.

It was the latest success of a remarkable year for Aston Villa striker Daly, who was named Women’s Super League player of month in September.

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Rachel Daly wins Women’s Super League player of the month award

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly won the Barclays Women’s Super League player of the month award for September.

Daly, who plays for Aston Villa, scored three goals last month including a brace against Manchester City.

Meanwhile, Carla Ward, coach of Aston Villa Women, picked up manager of the month award for the WSL.

Villa went unbeaten throughout September and currently sit third in the league.

On her return the England from Houston Dash, Daly scored twice in the opening WSL fixture against City at Villa Park.

The match ended in a 4-3 win for Villa and Daly was crowned player of the match.

Her third goal of September came against Leicester City in a 2-0 victory.

The award continues a stellar year for Daly, 30, who was also a key part of the England Lionesses’ success at Euro 22 in the summer.

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Top local football clubs ponder earlier kick-offs to save floodlight costs

Leading football clubs in Harrogate and Knaresborough are considering whether to kick-off earlier on Saturday afternoons over winter to save money on floodlights.

Rising energy bills mean the cost of lighting up matches is expected to soar this season, especially after the clocks go back on October 30.

Bringing forward the traditional 3pm Saturday afternoon kick-off could save those clubs in the district with floodlights — Harrogate Town, Harrogate Railway Athletic and Knaresborough Town — thousands of pounds over the season.

For the district’s only professional club, Harrogate Town, any change seems unlikely. A club spokesman said:

“We have no plans to move our kick-offs at this stage.

“It was discussed at an English Football League meeting with all clubs last week and the overriding feeling was that it would be detrimental to attendances.”

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But the issue is less clearcut for semi-professional teams, which attract smaller attendances.

Michael Edwards, chairman of Harrogate Railway, who play in the Northern Counties East League Division One, said it was one of many teams in the league pursuing the idea. He said:

“It could save hundreds if not thousands of pounds over a season and every little bit counts.”

He said Harrogate Railway were looking to start some matches at 1.30pm or 2pm from November onwards — but any change has to be agreed by both teams three weeks in advance.

Clare Rudzinski, secretary of Knaresborough Town, who play in the Northern Counties East League Premier Division, one tier above Harrogate Railway, said the issue would be raised at a committee meeting next week.

Floodlights will continue to be used at midweek matches, when the evening kickoff times make floodlights essential.

 

 

 

 

Harrogate Town welcome Bradford City tomorrow in crunch Yorkshire derby

A bumper crowd is expected at Harrogate Town tomorrow as they welcome Bradford City in a crunch Yorkshire derby.

Town are on on a poor run of form and haven’t won in League Two since beating Gillingham away on August 16.

It’s been even longer since they last tasted victory at home, when they beat Swindon 3-0 on July 30.

The squad had a major overhaul during the summer, with 15 new signings, but it’s taking longer to gel than manager Simon Weaver would have liked.

Despite all he’s achieved during his 13 years in charge, Weaver’s position is being questioned by some fans.

In a pre-match interview, he said:

“We expect Bradford will bring lots of fans. There’s lots of interest from a Harrogate point of view and we expect a buoyant crowd. It should be an eventful game.”

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Attendances at the EnviroVent have been down on last season but around 2,500 tickets have been sold for the game so far, which includes 600 Bradford fans.

The game kicks off at 1pm.

Tickets are on sale from the club’s Commercial Street store until 4pm today. There will be no further sales after this point.

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly scores twice on dream return to England

Rachel Daly’s remarkable year continued today when she scored twice on her Aston Villa debut in the Women’s Super League.

Daly was a key player in England Lionesses’ success at Euro 22 in the summer.

The Harrogate-born player subsequently signed a three-year contract with Villa to return to England after a six-year stint in the National Women’s Soccer League in America with Houston Dash.

In today’s opening WSL fixture, Daly’s curled strike gave Villa a 2-0 lead in the home fixture against Manchester City. After City fought back to lead, Daly pounced to score the winner and be named player of the match.

The exciting match was broadcast live on BBC Two and watched live by 7,000 fans at Villa Park in Birmingham.

Daly played at left back for England at Euro 2022 but has reverted to her forward role with Villa, who finished ninth of 12 in the WSL last season. City were third, so today’s thrilling win was an ideal start to Daly’s new adventure.

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Football reunion seeking Claro League players of years past

A former manager in Harrogate’s Claro League is looking for football players from the late 1970s and early 1980s to take part in a reunion.

Harry Teggin, who managed the Claro Catholic team between 1967 and the 1983/84 season, is organising an event at the Bilton Club on Friday, September 23.

After realising that he had begun only seeing some of his fellow footballers at funerals, he decided a more positive event was needed.

Mr Teggin said:

“I’d had enough of that really. Let’s have one where we’re not saying goodbye.”

He is hoping to reach players from multiple clubs in the Claro League from the period such as Belford, Gluepot and Harrogate Phoenix.

At the time, many teams had formed around pubs or youth clubs.

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The Claro League ended in 2017 after a drop in interest levels in Sunday league football. Only six teams had applied to play in the following season.

Some teams applied to play in West Yorkshire but others were disbanded.

It marked a decline from the 1970s when the league was one of two in the town and had five divisions,

Teams came from as far away as Wetherby and Tadcaster.

‘We’ve always been a close-knit team’

When he started out as manager at Claro Catholic, Mr Teggin said his job mainly involved getting players home from nights out and setting up the pitch on a Sunday morning.

But friendships formed and still endure today. He said:

“We’ve always been a close-knit team and we always had good camaraderie with the other teams.”

Some of the players, Mr Teggin revealed, later went on to play for Harrogate Town.

The former manager urged anyone who was involved to contact him and come to the event.

‘Weaverismo!’: Meet the Harrogate Town fan who lives in Argentina

When Diego Sanchez decided to follow an English club he was seduced by Simon Weaver’s men in yellow and black rather than the more obvious options.

The 17-year-old schoolboy lives in Buenos Aires, almost 7,000 miles away from Wetherby Road.

He first heard about the club after reading an article about cult favourite Simon Ainge who became an unexpected goal machine in 2016.

Two years ago Diego then set up a Twitter account called Harrogate Town Argentina that has amassed over 1,000 followers and charts the highs and lows of the club in Spanish.

Fiery passion

Despite being so far away, he might just be the most passionate Town fan there is online.

Tweets include ‘HOYYYYY JUEGA EL HARROGATEEEEE’ (Today Harrogate plays) and ‘MARK LA COBRA ESCOCESA BECK ARRANCO ON FIRE EN DARLINGTON’ (Mark ‘The Scottish Cobra’ Beck is on fire at Darlington).

He also celebrates like he’s there in the ground every time the team score a goal:

https://twitter.com/HarrogateArg/status/1559620586627891201?s=20&t=SYjtMXY488eTTQ4fWpy3Pw

Committed fan

It’s not easy following a club on the other side of the world and Diego says it requires a lot of patience and commitment.

Fortunately, games are now streamed live over the internet and the time difference is only four hours.

His favourite player is Jack Muldoon and social media gives him the chance to interact with his heroes. He describes the feeling when a player likes one of his Tweets as being “a caress to the soul”.

 He said:

“[Jack Muldoon] is a player that when he catches the ball he gives you the illusion that anything can happen. 

“Another thing that makes me very happy is being able to interact with the players or with the club’s coaching staff. Any small gesture like a thank you for an edit or a like on a tweet is like a caress to the soul.

“My favourite player was Connor Hall (who has since left for Port Vale) because I was able to interact with him through social media. He seemed a very good person. I am very happy for him and for what he is achieving at his new club”.

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Diego is also a River Plate fan, who plays in the 100,000-seater El Monumental stadium. The fiery atmosphere there is legendary and a bucket list visit for football fans around the world.

But Diego yearns to be in the kop end at the EnviroVent Stadium and would love to visit Harrogate one day to watch a game.

Credit: River Plate FC

Diego said:

“If one day I get to attend a Harrogate match it would surely be crazy for me.

“I still haven’t imagined it, but if it happens, I would try to enjoy it as much as possible.

“Here in Argentina, the fans are among the best in the world, I know El Monumental and the atmosphere there is crazy.”

Trust in Weaver

Harrogate Town are on a bad run of results and have lost their last five games but they can always count on the support of their fan in Argentina. Diego added:

“I feel a bit worried about the recent form in the last few games but I fully trust the guys and Weaver to come through.”

You can follow Diego on Twitter here.

Harrogate’s Archie Gray signs scholarship with Leeds United

Archie Gray has signed a two-year scholarship with Leeds United.

The 16-year-old footballer is one of the club’s most highly-rated youngsters and joins nine other prospects in signing new deals.

The academy, which is based at Thorp Arch near Wetherby, offers players a variety of educational programmes including the BTEC diploma and A Levels that they can learn alongside developing their football skills.

Gray recently completed his GCSEs at St John Fisher Catholic High School in Harrogate.

The midfielder is yet to make his full debut for the club but has been named as an unused substitute in the Premier League.

On the final day of last season, he celebrated the club surviving relegation in the dressing room before going to sit his exams the next day.

Leeds United said:

“Everyone at the club wishes our new scholars well as they begin, or continue with, their Leeds United journey within our academy.”

Archie Gray (4th from right)

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Goalkeeper’s journey from Harrogate Railway to the Champions League

Beginning your career at Station View in Starbeck and ending up at grounds like the San Siro, Nou Camp and the Allianz Arena is an unlikely, even implausible, career path, but Jon McLaughlin was tipped for the top from the very start.

The 34-year-old Glasgow Rangers goalkeeper started last night during a 1-0 win over PSV that secured his club’s place in the Champions League group stages for the first time in over a decade.

Rangers were regulars in the competition in the 2000s when McLaughlin was starting out his career at Harrogate Railway.

Back then, he was a lanky 19-year-old student at Leeds Metropolitan University taking his first steps into part-time, non-league football.

‘The Battle of Harrogate’

McLaughlin made his debut for Railway in the Unibond League Cup away at Gateshead in 2006, due to an injury to the first-choice keeper.

He soon cemented his place in the side and stood out during Railway’s second fairytale FA Cup run of that decade. They were eventually knocked out by Mansfield Town in the 2nd round, live in front of the BBC cameras.

Earlier in the competition, fans of both Railway and Harrogate Town fondly remember his performance in a 2-1 qualifying win over a pre-Irving Weaver Harrogate Town.

The two clubs were at a much more even level than today.

It was a blustery October afternoon game that was watched by 1,300 at Station View. In a match report, non-league blogger Paul Kirkwood described the atmosphere, which contrasts wildly to the cauldron of Ibrox that the goalkeeper plays in today.

“The local paper tried to bull up the match as ‘The Battle of Harrogate’ but it was more like a cordial meeting of two old friends at the famous Betty’s Tea Rooms down the road.”

The Scot’s talent was evident, and it was clear Railway had found a gem.

Following Railway’s FA Cup heroics, he was signed by Town in early 2008. At the time, then-Railway boss Vince Brockie predicted the 20-year-old would play for Scotland one day, and he eventually did in 2018.

‘Massive for the club’

Railway’s secretary Dave Shepherd said he was proud to see one of the club’s former players make it to the top of the game

“To have an ex-footballer make it at the very top level is massive for the club.

“He was quiet really, even back then, but he was very dependable. He always turned up for training and games and was never a problem.

“I can remember back then we had a group of lads who came and sang to him, Scotland’s number one, tongue in cheek.”

Harrogate Railway’s vice chairman Lee Holmes said Railway has been a good starting point for many players over the years.

“He was really, really good. I was there for the match against Town and he did well. He was a brilliant player.”

Katherine Swinn, of Harrogate Town Independent Supporters Group, also remembers McLaughlin as a “great keeper, too good for non-league and very highly thought of”.

Up the ladder

After leaving Town after half a season, McLaughlin moved to professional, full-time football with Bradford City. They were then managed by Harrogate resident and fellow Scot Stuart McCall.

His career has included a League Cup final at Wembley and he will be hoping to make the Scotland squad for the Qatar World Cup later this year, but he still credits his time in Harrogate as laying the foundations for his success.

He told the Daily Record in 2020

“I follow all my former teams. Harrogate Town just got 
promoted and it’s great to see them starting to build.

“When I was at Harrogate Railway before that, the pitches were open to anyone who wanted to walk in but nobody wanted to walk in unfortunately!

“There were a couple of men and a dog watching games so it’s the polar opposite to now.

“It’s great to be where I am now and hopefully it means I’ll never take it for granted.

“I have an appreciation for what I have now. I know first hand the difference between lifestyles from then and now – and the hours you have to dedicate to it.

“I don’t think any of the 
Harrogate lads are playing pro football now. We’re talking about quite a few levels below the National League in England so it was part-time boys.

“We try to stay in contact but I don’t get down too often. I don’t get the chance to get involved in the reunions but it would be great to go back.”

Rachel Daly picked for England World Cup 2023 qualifier squad

Harrogate’s Rachel Daly has been called up to the England Lionesses’ squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers.

Daly, who recently joined Aston Villa, is among the 23-player squad which will take on Austria and Luxembourg next month.

The Lionesses will be hoping to build on their Euro 2022 triumph by booking a place at the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.

England manager Sarina Wiegman said:

“It only feels like yesterday since we were celebrating at Wembley, but we have to get straight back to business. 

“We have a big target in front of us this month to book our place at the World Cup, and we have to set aside our amazing memories of this summer for the moment.”

Daly, who attended Saltergate and Rossett schools, has seen a lot of success on the pitch in the past few months.

After helping the Lionesses win the Euros at Wembley against Germany last month, she signed for Women’s Super League side Aston Villa from Houston Dash in the USA. She now has almost 300,000 followers on Instagram.

The 30-year-old said it was a big decision to move to Villa, but added that it was right to come home as “family is the most important thing”.

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