Ian Holloway admits Swindon were ‘battered’ by Harrogate despite winning

Swindon boss Ian Holloway admitted his team were “battered” by bottom-of-the-table Harrogate despite securing a 1-0 win thanks to Aaron Drinan’s 84th-minute penalty.

Drinan’s 23rd goal of the season in all competitions settled matters after Fletcher Holman had been brought down by home keeper Henry Gray.

But Holloway reserved his most fulsome praise for the hosts, who have now gone 20 league games without a victory.

The Robins chief said: “I have to say well done to them, because they played exceptionally well. What a fight they put up and performance they gave.

“I feel for them in their dressing room because they didn’t just work hard, they caused us problems in midfield and out wide as well. We were battered from back to front and top to bottom, but managed to come out with a penalty and three points.

“Sometimes you just don’t know how you’ve won a game, but we did and I’m delighted because it’s a tough old thing coming all this way and I loved our dogged spirit and the pace that Fletcher showed for the penalty. I’ve just been told it’s the first away game we’ve won on a Tuesday night since 2023, so now we’ve managed to do that.

“We also came here last season and they didn’t play as well as they have done tonight, but we lost.”

Harrogate boss Simon Weaver also took solace in defeat following his team’s battling display and believes a squad “refreshed” by eight January signings, as well as the return of key attacker Ellis Taylor after 10 weeks sidelined, is now well equipped for a survival fight.

“I feel for the lads, because they put a huge amount of effort into tonight,” Weaver declared. “We were pouring forward for large parts of the game, but the only thing that was missing was a finishing touch.

“We knew Swindon were a good team, but wanted to get into their faces and be attack-minded. Now we have wide players back in the squad, we’re able to attack full-on from the flanks and we’re looking around the team and seeing a lot more capability.

“I’ve seen a lot of games where Swindon have put teams to the sword, but it was the reverse this evening. I don’t think any neutral watching would have guessed we were bottom of the table, but we’re hoping that’s temporary.

“We’ve refreshed the squad and shown our ambition by signing eight players in January. We want to recreate the style that got us our promotions, because it’s been a difficult period and, while the results haven’t come yet, we are beginning to get some momentum in terms of performances. I’d defy anyone to argue against that.”