A damning verdict has emerged from Barrow and Harrogate manager Simon Weaver vows to ‘fight back’ after relegation from League Two.
A dramatic final day saw Tranmere Rovers, Harrogate, Crawley, Newport and Barrow all battle it out to stay in the EFL.
But in the end, Barrow saw their 6 year stay in the EFL come to an end, following a 2-1 defeat at home too Newport, who extend their stay in the Football League to beyond 13 years.
The other team who were relegated to League Two was Harrogate Town, following a 2-1 loss at home to Barnet. meaning the Sulphurites were back in non league football after six seasons.
See how the rest of the final day played out HERE.
The statement Barrow owners issued on the day of relegation:
To all fellow Bluebirds, what an awful season.
The only words we can say to you all is how sorry we are.
As a group of owners our intentions have always been in the best interests of the club. Every decision made was with the aim of improving our beloved club. Some have been successful, many have not.
Our EFL journey has been a wonderful experience, yet increasingly difficult to compete despite significant and continued investment from the owners. Losing our EFL status leaves us hurting and let down, just like you are.
That said, ultimately the buck stops with us. It would be easy for a statement full of soundbites like ‘root and branch review of the season’.
We are acutely aware of what’s gone wrong and we are well down the road ensuring the club is heading in the direction we need to go forward and grow.
Words are easy to say so let us be judged by our actions. Over the coming days and weeks, we’ll be making a series of announcements as we restructure and fully reset the club.
To do this we need your support more than ever. Relegation has a stigma which can linger, we can only break this united together. We want to build up a club we are all proud of again.
It’s not going to be easy but you all have been amazing following us both at home and all over the country. We need that support more than ever.
Relegation doesn’t define us, it’s just a moment in time, and we’ll come back stronger.
Paul, Kris, Tony and Frazer
A further statement was issued by Barrow a few days after:
Barrow AFC can confirm that Chief Executive Officer Iain Wood has departed the club with immediate effect.
Iain joined the club in 2022 as Sporting Director, and later went on to become CEO.
The club would like to thank Iain for his contribution and wishes him well for the future.
Following the statement issued by the owners earlier this week, the club can confirm a number of staff departures as part of ongoing changes at the football club.
Assistant Head Coaches Simon Ireland and Graham Coughlan (appointed by Waterford), First Team Coach David Worrall, Head of Medical Karly Bland and Goalkeeping Coach Ali Uzunhasanoğlu have all left their positions with immediate effect.
As outlined by the board, work has been ongoing behind the scenes since confirmation of relegation. That process is well advanced, and a number of difficult decisions have been required to reset and realign the club.
We’d like to place on record our thanks to those departing staff members.
Barrow AFC can confirm that Chief Executive Officer Iain Wood has departed the club with immediate effect.#WeAreBarrow
— Barrow AFC (@BarrowAFC) May 4, 2026
Simon Weaver, who has managed Harrogate for 17 years, told BBC Radio York: “There are some young, impressionable lads and I don’t want them scarred from [relegation].
“It will make a mark, but they are all good enough to react and respond in their careers, whether they stay with us or not.
“It was about turning it on them, not in a nasty way. They’ve given their all for the badge and we thank them for their efforts.”
“It is disappointing but you have more regret when you don’t give it your all. My regret would be if I didn’t care so much, I would be letting people don’t. I’m giving my all.
“I won’t be beating myself up. I’ll fight back.”
He said, per Yorkshire Post: “To get to the EFL was something we never dreamt of but the ambition doesn’t just stop because you get hit between the eyes for a season,” said manager Simon Weaver, who took over a club in the Conference 17 years ago.
“We’ve played some absolutely brilliant stuff in the last 20 games and it’s how we react – how the club and the community does.
“Life’s never in a straight line.
“We’ve got to show our steel throughout and that’s been part of the journey too.
“It’s an important opportunity for everybody on our side to react well. It’s an opportunity to show our mettle as grown-ups.
“They gave it everything today.
“Really it was the first 30 games that gave us such a mountain to climb.
“I thank the players for their efforts. They’ve given it everything, particularly the last 15 games. If the league table showed that, we’d be mid-table.
“They’ve been courageous, they’ve run through brick walls for the badge.
“It wasn’t really about today it was about those first 30 games where we fell short and there’s reasons for that.
“I thought the reaction to going a goal down early was superb against a team that have banged in 16 goals before today.
“It was not a good start for us.
“I thought the support was brilliant throughout.
“They helped us react very quickly. We did just that, we scored the penalty under pressure and got right back in it.
“We were keen to start the second half on the front foot and we did. We hit the bar *through Shawn McCoulsky) and had a couple of opportunities.
“One of them’s got to drop in.”
Jack Evans tweeted: “Still gutted after Saturday, the boys fought till the end but unfortunately wasn’t meant to be. Thank you to all the fans for your continued support throughout the season, backing us home and away. Proud to be town 💛 @HarrogateTown”
Henry Gray: “Thank you @HarrogateTown and the fans for a warm welcome back in January, unfortunate to see the result on Saturday but enjoyed playing for the club ❤️”
Here’s the social media reaction after a damning verdict from Barrow and Harrogate manager Simon Weaver saying he is to ‘fight back’ after League Two relegation…
ON BARROW:
@OurBluebirdsFly: A decent statement. We’re all hurting. Together we will help get our club back to where we need to be and in a manner we all want and need to see. We will be buying our season tickets and, along with many bluebirds, continue to support our club. #WeAreBarrow
@Bluebir51770639: One place from a play off place and this jester forced out the manager who got us there! Good riddance to the scumbag who is 90% to blame for us losing our league place! Absolute clown who doesn’t have a clue! Back to being a football agent! blagging piece of muck!!!
@reidybafc: Not totally to blame. The guy shouldn’t have been put in the position in first place & he was tasked with too many roles at the club. The club is hush re: the Wild departure, my conclusion is Wild & Wood had a disagreement and Wild took the rap, it was the Wild Wild WestWOOD.
@TerryJakeway: Too little too late.. he forced out Pete Wild and been downhill ever since
@LeeMcK77: How did he outlast all the managers this season? Allowed our club to be run like a circus all year
@CurtisJ91977793: About time recruiting a squad that had plenty of question marks about their fitness was always going to ask for trouble
@Liam____21: Too many knee jerk decisions made by a silly solicitor. With ‘experienced football’ minds in his ear. Downfall began after not backing wild. Then letting Campbell and spence go with below par replacements. Fully deserved. The board made the bed so tuck yourselves in and get comfy.
@GrahamPark15: We are now were we are so time for level heads, let’s take a step back and make the correct decisions without knee jerk reactions. It’s not rocket science to work out where we went wrong. The club got several thing wrong but their commitment to the club cannot be brought into it.
@Carlpar94640108: Good statement, tbh. These owners are Barrow fans as well and must be hurting! To move forward, we need to make big bold moves, and if new investment is required, we must do our best to seek that.
ON HARROGATE:
@fletch138: I Don’t get the hate.. [Simon Weaver] he’s the reason you’re not still in the Northern Premier League. Nevermind national league. Either you don’t know the history of your club or you’re just deluded, without the Weavers you’re 2-3 levels lower
@HTFCSeb2: “If it ever gets to a point where I’m not doing a good enough job then I’d be the first to go”. – Simon Weaver, May 2025 via The Stray Ferret.
@HarrogateArg: End of the match. Harrogate is relegated and is a National League team again. Disastrous season in which we stayed alive until the final matchday due to the mediocrity of the others. Time to shuffle and deal again in a reconstruction that will have to be done one way or another. PAIN.
@avoidmirrors1: just begrudgingly watched the lot of it, there are no positives from this season. there was no positive outcome and your tactics & player management was far from positive, all season long. you need to go simon, you are a cancer to our football club, you and your father both.
@avoidmirrors1: simon & irving weaver – you have DESTROYED this football club. the continued lack of care, accountability and honesty has set us back an indefinite amount of time. your embarrassing attempts at survival have only dented promotion hopes in next seasons national league. harrogate town is not your little experiment, where we just “see what happens.” #harrogatetown is OUR football club, out 100 year old football club and you have spat in the face of the fans who have called for your removal for years now. there is no spine between you. ultimately, we are left devastated due to constant mismanagement and blatant lies aimed directly at the fanbase. this is not an enjoyable club to support at the minute and that is not okay. Simon, Irving, do the right thing… LEAVE, the both of you.
