THE GAME
Rovers travelled to face bottom of the table Harrogate knowing that a win would mean they would be mathematically safe from relegation.
Steve Evans rung the changes for this one, making five in total; in came Kane Thompson-Sommers, Ryan De Havilland, Josh McEachran, Yusuf Akhamrich and Joe Quigley, while those to miss out were Alfie Kilgour, Richie Smallwood, Jack Sparkes, Mees Rijks and Ellis Harrison. In the absence of Kilgour, Riley Harbottle skippered the side.
The opening ten minutes proved to be a very scrappy affair and the only real action saw Shaq Forde drag a shot well wide from distance. For the home side, Cathal Heffernan hit a shot. wide of the mark and Jack Evans saw his headed effort meet the same fate.
Rovers gradually grew into the game and a Kofi Balmer header across goal was safely gathered by goalkeeper Henry Gray while, at the other end, Evans flashed a shot just wide of the upright.
Quigley hit a shot wide of the mark following a spell of Rovers possession and Akhamrich did the same with a wild effort that was well wide of goal.
Harrogate opened the scoring on 27 minutes through Ellis Taylor, who gained possession out on the right and cut inside before unleashing a left foot shot high into the roof of the net.
The goalscorer might have doubled his side’s lead as the half drew to a close, but his shot was deflected behind for a corner.
Tommy Leigh and Harrison were introduced at the start of the second half, replacing Thompson-Sommers and Quigley and within five minutes of the restart Rovers were back on level terms when Shaq Forde cut in from the right, evaded two challenges and fire a low left foot shot into the bottom corner of the net.
Five minutes later Harrogate regained the lead and once again it was Taylor on the scoresheet. He was at the back post when the ball came in from the left but his initial header was blocked by Clinton Mola. The rebound from the Rovers man fell to hm and he made no mistake with his second attempt and he fired a shot into the back of the net.
It didn’t take too long for Rovers to respond and, just after the hour mark, Forde crossed from the left and Harrison was first to react, getting ahead of his marker to stab the ball over the line.
As the game opened up, Harbottle blocked two efforts from Tobias Brennan while Akhamrich saw his effort saved by Gray at the other end.
The defining moment in the game arrived on 79 minutes when Gray came off his line in an attempt to clear but succeeded only in bringing down substitute Fabrizio Cavegn. Harrison assumed responsibility for the resulting spot kick and sent the dejected keeper the wrong way to register his 50th league goal in a Rovers shirt.
The home side pushed men forward in an attempt to find an equaliser, but all in vain as Rovers, having gained the lead, were in no mood to surrender it and held out to record a fifth straight win.
WHAT WAS SAID
‘Football’s about winning, isn’t it? I think for us today, I was really disappointed at half time because we have to come here with the greatest integrity. Four, five or six clubs are all fighting to avoid the drop into the National League. So, I thought it looked like we just turned up to go through the motions in the first half. In saying that, it’s a magnificent finish that puts them in front. There’s nothing else in the game, so it’s not a bad performance; we just lacked a little bit of sharpness.
‘In the second half I think we just adopted a different way of playing. We identified that pace would cause them a problem, so we put Shaq Forde up top, and at that time, I was going to introduce Fabrizio. He’s not been on the pitch for two or three weeks now, so we held him back a little bit and said he would have some impact in the last 20 minutes. That’s how it worked out, we changed the shape of the team, and when we changed the shape of the team, it was equals in the first half. Not a lot on it, but we were totally dominant in the second half.
‘It was a big call today. We felt sorry for Joe. It’s not very often that we apologise to players for taking them off, but Joe had no support in the first half. We felt that Ellis had probably got more movement than Joe. Joe’s got more aerial ability, but we felt that the movement would give these boys a problem at Harrogate, and it certainly did. I thought Ellis, putting his goals aside, led the line up with Shaq Forde, and then we introduced Fabrizio, who looked like the Fabrizio we love. With a few little niggles he’s been carrying, we gave him two or three weeks to shake them away. I just said to him there, ‘How did you feel?’ and he said he felt, for the first time in a long time, razor sharp coming on. So, that’s good.’ Rovers Head Coach Steve Evans
‘It was a massive three points. I think we were really bad in the first half, me especially, and then got a rightful rocket at half time, but then I feel like in the second half, we had a bit more energy, a bit more aggression, and then we managed to change it on its head. Luckily, we got the three points and showed good fight and grit to get the win. To be fair, when I initially got the ball, I was going to give it back to Tommy. But it got stuck on my foot, and then I just rolled him, and I saw the gap that had opened up. So, I’ve just gone and reversed it, and luckily, it’s gone in.
‘I just think that Steve Evans given me full confidence to go do what I do and enjoy the game again. He’s been brilliant for me. He’s been really great for me; he’s really given me the love that I’ve needed, and I’ve felt like he’s been massive for me. He’s given me a lot of confidence. He told me from the beginning, from day one, he’s told me that he wants me to express myself; he’s seen me play against him with his other teams. So, I just think he’s given me full confidence to go do what I do and enjoy the game again.
‘We just know we’re so much better than how we start in a lot of games. We always unfortunately seem to start a bit slow at the moment, but I feel like we get the rightful rocket at half time.
We shouldn’t really need it; we should be better in the first half, but I feel like we get into the second half, knowing that we should be doing better, and then we start to put it out and show it. We know we’re a good team. We can put a performance together in the second half and get the win.’ Rovers striker Shaq Forde
‘I thought that we were in the driving seat at 2-1 up and should have ended up winning the game, but costly mistakes in and around our box have cost us. For the first goal, I thought Shaq Forde travelled across the box too easily, and we didn’t make that tackle on the edge of the box like we did on Friday when everything was met with tackles and intensity.
‘We didn’t make the block or the tackle in that moment. And I think for all three goals, we could have dealt with those situations better. We gave a penalty away which was dispatched for another goal. It was soft, probably the wrong decision at the time, not by the referee, but from us defensively.
‘At times defensively, in all areas, we were too intense and showed a lack of discipline and hauled people down. And then, at times, we were just a yard off, so I’m disappointed in those aspects and we need to be better.’ Harrogate Town Boss Simon Weaver
