Simon Weaver relieved to see Harrogate end their winless run at Scunthorpe

Boss Simon Weaver hopes tough times are behind Harrogate as they ended a run of seven games without a victory by beating struggling Scunthorpe 3-0.

George Thomson curled the Sulphurites in front direct from a corner in the 23rd minute, with second-half goals from Jack Diamond and Will Smith sealing what ended up being an emphatic success.

“It’s a relief to get back to winning ways,” Weaver said.

“I’m delighted for the players – I thought everyone put in a really honest shift and showed the required energy and craft.

“There are no easy games in the Football League, Scunthorpe are fighting for their lives so there was a lot at stake. I’m glad we got through it.

“We scored three but we could have had more. We were guilty of missing a few chances, but it’s still a convincing scoreline, so we’re happy.

“It’s been a hard time the last few weeks – we’ve lost key players and things haven’t gone for us – but the players have been great in training.

“You can play well and not win, play well and just draw, and sooner or later the confidence does get eroded because you’re not picking up three points.

“This should give us all a big tonic, but I’ve got to thank the players for keeping their spirits up. They’ve turned up today and put on a good show.”

Scunthorpe could have been 2-0 ahead inside the opening 20 minutes had Tyrese Sinclair and Joe Nuttall been more clinical when through on goal, but after Thomson curled the away side ahead, there only looked like being one winner.

Diamond doubled their lead with a low finish from inside the penalty area just after the hour mark, before an unmarked Smith headed home from a corner via the underside of the bar with nine minutes to play.

Slipping to a 14th defeat in their last 17 matches, Scunthorpe boss Keith Hill felt his bottom-of-the-table side lost all confidence once Harrogate scored their second goal.

He said: “I was pleased with the first-half performance – to be 1-0 down at half-time was disappointing, but I tried to encourage the players.

“After the second goal it dissipated into chaos, the players’ confidence and belief was gone and their performance levels dropped.

“I’ve lived what they’re going through at the moment as a player so I understand it – I see through their eyes. But I’m asking them to show courage when they’re 2-0 down in the future, and learn from those experiences.

“The second goal killed the game – I think you could see the difference in body language between the sides in the last 20 minutes. Harrogate made the better decisions after the second goal.”