Ex-Leeds player and Harrogate Town boss Neil Aspin makes loyalties clear for FA Cup clash
Ex-Leeds player and Harrogate Town boss Neil Aspin makes loyalties clear for FA Cup clash
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When Neil Aspin saw his entire Harrogate Town squad transfer-listed in 2009, he feared the beginning of the end for the sixth-tier part-timers. Fast forward 16 years and he can scarcely believe the League Two outfit face Leeds United in Saturday's mouthwatering FA Cup clash at Elland Road. Given Aspin started out with boyhood favourites Leeds, debuting aged just 16 in 1982 and postponing his wedding to play an FA Cup semi-final against Coventry five years later, it makes the tie all the more fascinating for him.
The right-back originally joined Harrogate as player-coach in 2001 before a four-year stint as boss - but now gets to watch the two Yorkshire clubs finally meet in their first-ever competitive contest. Aspin admitted: “With Leeds, I remembered playing under Billy Bremner against Harrogate in a pre-season friendly.
“And when I joined them, I could only ever see them maybe getting to the Conference. I didn’t think they’d get in the Football League because of their ground. The last year managing Harrogate was a real struggle financially. And I wanted to go somewhere that had a bit more potential.
“I left for Halifax who were actually two leagues below - but I felt I had more chance to do something there. It was a totally different time. It was proper non-league where you struggled to get players in, you struggled to pay any wages. It was a good learning experience, though, and I enjoyed playing for Harrogate and managing them - and it’ll be great to now see them take on Leeds.”.
