Crewe Alexandra 0 Harrogate Town 0: Simon Weaver 'proud as punch' as Sulphurites bounce back

Dean Cornelius in action during Harrogate Town's 0-0 draw at Crewe Alexandra. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

The Suphurites were thrashed 9-2 on Tuesday night, but served up a resolute performance full of grit and determination to ensure that they left Gresty Road with a clean-sheet and a share of the spoils.

That point was enough to lift the Wetherby Road outfit back into the League Two play-off places, and Weaver felt that his troops were good value for it.

“I’m proud as punch, I thought that we deserved a point,” the Harrogate chief reflected.

Matty Daly came closest to breaking the deadlock in the first half of Saturday's League Two clash.

“On the back of the other night, which was quite traumatic, it was a real test of character and nerve, so to come and get a clean-sheet against a top team like Crewe, just shows the resilience that we have got.

“It’a been a test, the last few days, but we’ve come out the other side of it and I think that we can draw a line under it and move on, perhaps better off because we have stayed strong.

“Let’s get it right, it was quite an outrageous result the other night, so most people would be wondering ‘has that burst the bubble?’. But, we have snapped back at any doubters out there.

“And also it’s repaying the faith of the fans who have travelled all this way today and clapped us off the pitch the other bight. It was important to repay them with a team full of passion putting their bodies on the line.”

Sulphurites boss Simon Weaver said he was 'proud as punch' of his team's performance at Gresty Road.

Crewe headed into Saturday’s contest top of the League Two form table and fresh off the back of an impressive 3-1 success away at leaders Stockport in midweek.

But it was Town who had the better of the first half, Matty Daly going closest to breaking the deadlock when he fired narrowly wide having been released by Abraham Odoh.

The second period saw Crewe seize the ascendancy and go on to enjoy a spell of real pressure. But, they failed to find a breakthrough, as Courtney Baker-Richardson rattled the woodwork before Shilow Tracey forced a good save from Harrogate custodian James Belshaw.

The visitors kept pushing and almost nicked all three points late on, however a superb block from Anthony O’Connor thwarted Tracey, before Belshaw somehow kept out Charlie Kirk’s goal-bound volley.

Saturday’s result lifts Town one place and into seventh position, where they sit one point better off than AFC Wimbledon.