U19s Start Season with a 6-2 Win

Harrogate Town finally got their season underway on Thursday night as they travelled to Castleford Academy to take on a Stanley Utd side, looking to bounce back from an opening day defeat to Leeds University 1st Team in the West Rising U23s Development League.

Town made the perfect start to proceedings when a ball crossed in from the right saw striker Harry Boyer tower above the home defenders with barely five minutes on the clock.

It wasn’t long before Town added to their lead as full back Alex Hields drove in from the right towards the 18-yard area before firing a fierce shot past the home keeper giving him no chance.
 
With Town now in the ascendancy, a free-flowing move saw Joe Navier add his name to the scoresheet on 14 minutes before a free-kick from Joe Gosling on 19 minutes left the Stanley Utd keeper with little option but to collect the ball from his net once again. A dream start from the young Town side.
 
As the half moved on, the home side grew into the game with the ‘encouraging’ words of their manager ringing in their ears and on the stroke of half time, they grabbed a goal back with an unstoppable shot from outside the area to give them hope in a half dominated by Harrogate.
 
The second half started as the first half finished with the home side looking to establish themselves in the game through their direct brand of football giving the Town back four plenty of work to which they were equal.

As the home side pushed for a second it was Town who re-established a four-goal cushion with midfielder Ethan Thorpe carving out a chance for himself and finishing with a composed strike past the advancing keeper.

Within two minutes Gosling had his second of the night and Towns sixth and they looked to kill the game off.
 
With time running out the home side grabbed a consolation second from a corner, but the young Town side resisted any further attempts to bridge the gap in the score line.
 
Next week the U19s travel to Pontefract Collieries to take on their U23s in what will be another big test for the Town youngsters.
  
Goals: Boyer 5, Hields 9, Navier 14, Gosling 19, 65, Thorpe 63
 
Town: Heppell, Hields, Whelan, Mason, Dobson, Lee, Thorpe, Kellet, Navier, Gosling, Boyer
 
Subs: Hopkinson, Mutch, Hardcastle, Barker, Calvert