Harrogate recover from two goals down at Forest Green after Carlisle defeat
Sunday 1 November 2026 · By Jenny Halloran
Harrogate Town had a mixed week in the Enterprise National League, losing 3–0 at Carlisle United on Wednesday and then coming back from 2–0 down to draw 2–2 at Forest Green Rovers on Saturday. They stay second in the table on 32 points.
At Carlisle, Harrogate’s run of five straight league wins came to an end against a home side who played most of the game with nine men. Miguel Azeez was sent off in the 14th minute and Harvey Bunker in the 30th, but Carlisle still scored through Williams, Whelan and Galvin, with Whelan’s goal coming a minute into the second half. Manager Simon Weaver told BBC Radio York: “Embarrassed to be honest.” He also said the team had “believed the hype”, adding: “We came into it with brilliant form but it looked like as a team and a collective we believed the hype coming into the game.”
At Forest Green on Saturday the pattern was different. Kengni gave the home side the lead in the seventh minute and Kyle Kelly made it 2–0 in first-half stoppage time. Lewis Payne pulled one back in the 52nd minute and Ellis Taylor equalised four or five minutes later. Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser: “I think the players showed courage on the ball in the second half, and played with ambition.”
The table now shows Harrogate with 32 points from 16 games, with ten wins, two draws and four defeats. They are 12 points behind leaders Boreham Wood and three ahead of third-placed Southend United, with whom they share a goal difference of +11. They are four points clear of seventh-placed Altrincham, who have 28, and 17 points above 21st-placed Hartlepool United, who have 15. They have scored 34 goals and conceded 23.
The form guide for their last six league games reads W W W W L D, and Harrogate remain the club closest to Boreham Wood.
The next match is a different kind of test. Harrogate host Fylde in the FA Cup first round on Saturday 7 November, with kick-off at 3pm GMT, and it is the only all-National League tie of the round. Fylde are fourth in the league, level on points with Southend, so Harrogate meet a side who are also in the play-off places.
There is no league game on 7 November. Harrogate return to league action at home to Altrincham on Saturday 14 November at 3pm, and Altrincham are the club currently holding the last play-off place. Then comes a trip to Worthing on Saturday 21 November at 3pm, and a home game against Kidderminster Harriers on Wednesday 25 November at 7.45pm.
Two games, two very different halves of football, and still a comfortable position in the table: that was Harrogate’s week.
Colour plan of Wetherby Road (The Marcy Fitness / Exercise Stadium). Green = home areas, blue = typical away allocation. Goals sit in front of the Hospital End and the Myrings / Touch Telecom end.
Wetherby Road has been Harrogate Town’s home since 1920. You will also see it billed as the Exercise Stadium or Marcy Fitness Stadium. Capacity is about 5,000. It is a compact League Two ground: a mix of short seated stands and covered terraces rather than one continuous bowl. Visiting supporters usually leave with a good impression — close to the pitch, covered in the allocated areas, and staffed in a way that feels more non-league hospitality than big-club security theatre.
The pitch runs roughly north–south, with the A661 Wetherby Road along the west touchline and Harrogate District Hospital behind the north goal. That north end is the Hospital End (still often called the Aon Terrace): covered home standing. The south end, opposite, is the Myrings / Touch Telecom terrace, with the 1919 venue and club shop nearby. Away fans are typically placed behind that south goal and along the southern stretch of the Wetherby Road side — the Barclay LED terrace plus the small Kitching Plant Hire seated stand (around 147 seats). South turnstiles on Wetherby Road are the away entrance. Home supporters use the north gates.
Buy through your own club. Harrogate do not sell away tickets on the day at the ground. Allocation is usually around 1,000–1,050, split between standing and those 147 seats. Choose seating or standing when you buy; you cannot wander between them. Turnstiles generally open 90 minutes before kick-off (often 1.30pm for a 3pm Saturday). All listed away areas are covered. The low roof on the Wetherby Road terrace helps a travelling support sound bigger than the numbers. Wheelchair places for visitors are usually arranged in a home-side block — contact both clubs early if you need access seating or a companion ticket.
There is no public car park at the stadium. Residential streets nearby have restrictions. Coaches and minibuses must not drop on Wetherby Road; the designated park-and-walk is Harrogate Sports and Fitness Centre on Hookstone Wood Road (HG2 8PN), about a 15-minute walk. Cedar Court Hotel on Park Parade (HG1 5AH) often sells matchday spaces. Harrogate station is a little over a mile away; Hornbeam Park is another option. Bus 7 runs along Wetherby Road. Disabled drop-off is at Willow Tree Primary School, not at the main gates.
Once inside, there is an away bar under the south-end stand (limited capacity, typically around 100). Draught options have included Carling and Madri, plus soft drinks. Food kiosks sit near the away concourse — pies and burgers are the staple. Outside the ground, The Woodlands on Wetherby Road (HG2 7AB) is the usual pre-match recommendation, about ten minutes’ walk. Harrogate Brewery Co. is further but popular with travelling groups. The town centre, spa buildings and The Stray are an easy add-on if you arrive early.
Views from the away terrace and the Kitching seats are honest rather than panoramic: you are close, floodlight bases poke through parts of the Wetherby Road stand, and the Main Stand opposite (Greene King IPA Family Stand, with the TV gantry on the roof) only covers part of the touchline. Dugouts sit on the Wetherby Road side. Stewards are generally straightforward. Do not try the home end; anyone found there is removed without a refund. Bags are often searched. Under-15s must be with an adult.
Address: Wetherby Road, Harrogate, HG2 7SA. Arrive with time to spare — the A661 backs up and the walk from coach parking is longer than it looks on a map. If you want noise, stand behind the south goal. If you want a seat and a slightly calmer view, take Kitching Plant Hire. Either way you will be under cover, on top of the pitch, at a ground that still feels like a proper lower-league day out.