Salford City 2 Harrogate Town 2: Sulphurites had enough chances to have won on final day of season

The Sulphurites signed off for 2023/24 – their most successful campaign ever – with a 2-2 draw against the Ammies as goals from Abraham Odoh and Matty Foulds saw them twice recover from falling behind.

A point was enough to secure 13th position in the League Two standings and a highest Football League finish, though Weaver is of the opinion that they could have had all three.

"We’re a bit frustrated with two goals conceded from set-plays,” he reflected. “That was a frustrating element, conceding two soft goals. They never cut us open at all. It was always going to be about balls into the box for [Matt] Smith.

"When we got the ball down and played, we played as we have done all season, there was some good football and it was creative. Perhaps we should have won the game when you look at the chances that, on another day, we would expect to score.

"That’s what we wanted to do, we didn’t manage to achieve it, so we’re a little bit flat on that but there was lots of good football played by us. We cut them open and could have won it in the end. We didn't, but we can be satisfied with another away point and a good performance overall.

“There are always going to be disappointments, but it's how we react – that's how we judge the club. We've tried to drill that into the lads, so it's ingrained as part of our culture. I'm proud of the fact that we've done it yet again in the last game and we've not just let the season fizzle out.”

Town fell behind at Moor Lane with just five minutes on the clock when Callum Hendry met Luke Garbutt’s right-wing corner inside the six-yard box and was able to glance a finish into the back of the net.

The Sulphurites restored parity in the 27th minute, Odoh coolly steering a low, first-time finish into the bottom corner having been picked out inside the penalty area by Dean Cornelius’ intelligent cut-back.

But Harrogate found themselves trailing again soon afterwards, Ryan Watson netting with an eye-catching volley from the edge of the box as the away defence failed to clear their lines from a free-kick.

A second equaliser would however arrive in first-half stoppage-time, Foulds arriving at the near post to cleverly flick George Thomson’s left-wing corner beyond Alex Cairns in the Salford goal.

The second half saw Town create the better chances to decide the contest as Thomson drew a good stop from Cairns when he got on the end of Odoh’s left-wing centre, while substitute Josh March sent a shot just inches the wrong side of the post having been played through on goal late on.

Saturday’s result means that Weaver’s men finish the season 13th in the table on 63 points having won 17 and drawn 12 of their 46 League Two fixtures.