# 2023–24 Harrogate Town A.F.C. season

The 2023–24 season was the 110th season in the history of Harrogate Town and their fourth consecutive season in League Two. The club also participated in League Two, the FA Cup, the EFL Cup, and the 2023–24 EFL Trophy.

## Current squad

    As of 10 February 2024
| No. | Name | Position | Place of birth | Date of birth (Age) | Previous club | Date signed | Fee | Contract end |
| Goalkeepers ||||||||||
| 1 | Mark Oxley | GK | Sheffield | (1990-09-28) 28 September 1990 (age 34) | Southend United | 1 July 2021 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 21 | Jonathan Mitchell | GK | Hartlepool | (1994-11-24) 24 November 1994 (age 30) | Doncaster Rovers | 3 November 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 31 | James Belshaw | GK | Nottingham | (1990-10-12) 12 October 1990 (age 34) | Bristol Rovers | 11 January 2024 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 38 | Lewis Thomas | GK | Leicester | (2002-02-08) 8 February 2002 (age 23) | Burnley | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| Defenders ||||||||||
| 2 | Derrick Abu | RB | Regensburg | (2003-12-18) 18 December 2003 (age 21) | Southampton | 1 February 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 3 | Joe Mattock | LB | Leicester | (1990-05-15) 15 May 1990 (age 34) | Rotherham United | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 5 | Will Smith | CB | Leeds | (1998-11-04) 4 November 1998 (age 26) | Barnsley | 1 July 2019 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 6 | Warren Burrell | RB | Sheffield | (1990-06-03) 3 June 1990 (age 34) | Buxton | 1 January 2016 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 15 | Anthony O'Connor | CB | Cork | (1992-10-25) 25 October 1992 (age 32) | Morecambe | 11 January 2023 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 16 | Rod McDonald | CB | Liverpool | (1992-04-11) 11 April 1992 (age 32) | Crewe Alexandra | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 23 | Matty Foulds | LB | Bradford | (1998-02-01) 1 February 1998 (age 27) | Bradford City | 14 June 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 30 | Liam Gibson | LB | Stanley | (1997-04-25) 25 April 1997 (age 27) | Morecambe | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| Midfielders ||||||||||
| 4 | Josh Falkingham | CM | Leeds | (1990-08-25) 25 August 1990 (age 34) | Darlington | 1 July 2017 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 7 | George Thomson | RM | Melton Mowbray | (1992-05-19) 19 May 1992 (age 32) | FC United of Manchester | 1 July 2017 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 8 | Dean Cornelius | CM | Bellshill | (2001-04-11) 11 April 2001 (age 23) | Motherwell | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 10 | Matty Daly | AM | Stockport | (2001-03-10) 10 March 2001 (age 23) | Huddersfield Town | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 14 | Toby Sims | RM | Worksop | (1998-10-15) 15 October 1998 (age 26) | Pittsburgh Riverhounds | 5 January 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 17 | Levi Sutton | DM | Scunthorpe | (1997-03-24) 24 March 1997 (age 27) | Bradford City | 31 January 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 19 | Jeremy Sivi | RM | London | (2002-07-18) 18 July 2002 (age 22) | Middlesbrough | 1 September 2023 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| 22 | Stephen Dooley | RM | Ballymoney | (1991-10-19) 19 October 1991 (age 33) | Rochdale | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 25 | George Horbury | CM | Harrogate | (2004-06-23) 23 June 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2022 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| Forwards ||||||||||
| 9 | Abraham Odoh | LW | Lambeth | (2000-08-07) 7 August 2000 (age 24) | Rochdale | 5 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 12 | Sam Folarin | RW | Lambeth | (2000-09-23) 23 September 2000 (age 24) | Middlesbrough | 1 September 2022 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2024 |
| 18 | Jack Muldoon | CF | Scunthorpe | (1989-05-19) 19 May 1989 (age 35) | AFC Fylde | 1 July 2018 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 24 | Josh March | CF | Stourbridge | (1997-03-18) 18 March 1997 (age 27) | Stevenage | 1 September 2023 | Undisclosed | 30 June 2025 |
| 27 | Tom Bloxham | CF | Welwyn Garden City | (2005-04-30) 30 April 2005 (age 19) | Blackburn Rovers | 1 February 2024 | Loan | 31 May 2024 |
| Out on Loan ||||||||||
| 11 | James Daly | CF | Brighton | (2000-01-12) 12 January 2000 (age 25) | Woking | 1 July 2023 | Free | 30 June 2025 |
| 21 | Peter Jameson | GK | Sunderland | (1993-04-21) 21 April 1993 (age 31) | York City | 1 July 2022 | Free | 30 June 2024 |
| 33 | Emmanuel Ilesanmi | CF | | (2004-11-17) 17 November 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 34 | Bradley Williams | CM | | (2004-09-03) 3 September 2004 (age 20) | Academy | 1 July 2021 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |
| 37 | Finn O'Boyle | CF | | | Academy | 30 August 2023 | Trainee | 30 June 2024 |

## Transfers
### In

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred from | Fee |
| 14 June 2023 | LB | Matty Foulds | Bradford City | Undisclosed |
| 1 July 2023 | CM | Dean Cornelius | Motherwell | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | CF | James Daly | Woking | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | AM | Matty Daly | Huddersfield Town | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | LB | Liam Gibson | Morecambe | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | CB | Rod McDonald | Crewe Alexandra | Free Transfer |
| 1 July 2023 | GK | Lewis Thomas | Burnley | Free Transfer |
| 5 July 2023 | LW | Abraham Odoh | Rochdale | Free Transfer |
| 1 September 2023 | CF | Josh March | Stevenage | Undisclosed |
| 3 November 2023 | GK | Jonathan Mitchell | Free agent | — |
| 11 January 2024 | GK | James Belshaw | Bristol Rovers | Undisclosed |

### Out

| Date | Pos | Player | Transferred to | Fee |
| 24 June 2023 | CB | Kyle Ferguson | Rochdale | Undisclosed |
| 30 June 2023 | CF | Dior Angus | Altrincham | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | CB | Rory McArdle | Retired | Retired |
| 30 June 2023 | CM | Alex Pattison | Bradford City | Released |
| 30 June 2023 | RW | Max Wright | FC Halifax Town | Released |
| 31 December 2023 | CM | Benjamin Tweed | Free agent | Released |
| 31 December 2023 | CB | Mason Wilson | Free agent | Released |
| 1 January 2024 | CF | Luke Armstrong | Carlisle United | Undisclosed |
| 1 February 2024 | RB | Kayne Ramsay | Charlton Athletic | Undisclosed |

### Loaned in

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned from | Until |
| 1 September 2023 | RM | Jeremy Sivi | Middlesbrough | End of season |
| 15 December 2023 | GK | James Belshaw | Bristol Rovers | 12 January 2024 |
| 1 February 2024 | RB | Derrick Abu | Southampton | End of Season |
| 1 February 2024 | LW | Tom Bloxham | Blackburn Rovers | End of Season |
* ↑ On 10 January, Sivi's loan from Middlesbrough was extended until the end of season.
* ↑ On 22 December, Belshaw's loan was extended by a further seven days.
* ↑ On 5 January, Belshaw's loan was extended by a further more seven days.

### Loaned out

| Date | Pos | Player | Loaned to | Date until |
| 4 July 2023 | GK | Peter Jameson | Hartlepool United | End of Season |
| 4 August 2023 | CB | Mason Wilson | Farsley Celtic | 31 August 2023 |
| 18 August 2023 | CM | Benjamin Tweed | Brighouse Town | 15 September 2023 |
| 19 August 2023 | CF | Emmanuel Ilesanmi | Basford United | 16 September 2023 |
| 23 October 2023 | LB | Joe Mattock | Harrogate Town | 7 January 2024 |
| 21 November 2023 | CM | George Horbury | Buxton | 19 December 2023 |
| 8 December 2023 | CM | Bradley Williams | Darlington | 6 January 2024 |
| 30 December 2023 | CF | Emmanuel Ilesanmi | Spennymoor Town | 27 January 2024 |
| 12 January 2024 | CM | Bradley Williams | Bradford (Park Avenue) | 10 February 2024 |
| 26 January 2024 | CF | Finn O'Boyle | Gloucester City | 24 February 2024 |
| 1 February 2024 | CF | James Daly | Aldershot Town | End of Season |

## Pre-season and friendlies

On 5 June, Harrogate Town announced their pre-season schedule with four fixtures confirmed against Darlington, South Shields, Gateshead and Hartlepool United.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

## Competitions
### Overall record

| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record | Record |
| Competition | Starting round | Final position | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % |
| League Two | Matchday 1 | 13th | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 60 | 69 | −9 | 036.96 |
| FA Cup | First round | second round | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 6 | +0 | 050.00 |
| EFL Cup | First round | Second round | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | −7 | 050.00 |
| EFL Trophy | Group stage | Group stage | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 033.33 |
| Total | Total | Total | 53 | 20 | 12 | 21 | 72 | 91 | −19 | 037.74 |
Last updated: 1 May 2024 Source: Soccerway

### League Two
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
| 10 | AFC Wimbledon | 46 | 17 | 14 | 15 | 64 | 51 | +13 | 65 |
| 11 | Walsall | 46 | 18 | 11 | 17 | 69 | 73 | −4 | 65 |
| 12 | Gillingham | 46 | 18 | 10 | 18 | 46 | 57 | −11 | 64 |
| 13 | Harrogate Town | 46 | 17 | 12 | 17 | 60 | 69 | −9 | 63 |
| 14 | Notts County | 46 | 18 | 7 | 21 | 89 | 86 | +3 | 61 |
| 15 | Morecambe | 46 | 17 | 10 | 19 | 67 | 81 | −14 | 58 |
| 16 | Tranmere Rovers | 46 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 67 | 70 | −3 | 57 |
* ↑ On 11 April 2024, Morecambe were deducted three points for failing to pay players and staff on time following previous EFL rules breaches in the 2023–24 season.'"`UNIQ--ref-00000094-QINU`"'

#### Results summary

| Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Overall | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Home | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away | Away |
Last updated: 1 May 2024. Source: Soccerway

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 21$^1$ | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 30$^3$ | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 29$^2$ | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | A | H | H | H | A |
| Result | W | L | L | L | W | L | L | D | W | W | L | W | L | W | L | L | W | D | L | D | W | W | W | L | D | W | W | W | D | W | L | D | L | L | D | L | D | D | W | D | W | L | W | D | L | D |
| Position | 9 | 12 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 16 | 19 | 15 | 17 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 7 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 13 |
* $^1$ Matchday 21 (vs Sutton United) was postponed due a waterlogged pitch.
* $^2$ Matchday 29 (vs Grimsby Town) was postponed due to a frozen pitch.
* $^3$ Matchday 30 (vs Newport County) was postponed due to Newport's FA Cup involvement.

#### Matches

On 22 June, the EFL League Two fixtures were released.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### FA Cup

Harrogate were drawn away to Marine in the first round and to Bolton Wanderers in the second round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Cup

Harrogate were drawn at home to Carlisle United in the first round and to Blackburn Rovers in the second round.
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures

### EFL Trophy

The Group stage draw was finalised on 22 June 2023.
| Pos | Div | Teamvte | Pld | W | PW | PL | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | L2 | Accrington Stanley | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 2 | ACA | Nottingham Forest U21 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3 | +2 | 6 | Advance to Round 2 |
| 3 | L1 | Carlisle United | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 | −1 | 3 | |
| 4 | L2 | Harrogate Town | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 8 | −3 | 3 | |
Win  Draw  Loss  Fixtures