Manager Simon Weaver felt relegation battlers Harrogate looked a “different team” as they claimed a stoppage-time 1-1 draw at Crewe.
The Sulphurites have not won a game in League Two since September 27, but were the better side at the Mornflake Stadium in the first half and showed fighting spirit to grab a dramatic equaliser through substitute Tom Cursons following Calum Agius’ opener.
“We have been depleted, but we have players who have returned like Bryn Morris, George Thomson and Mason Bennett and it looks a different team and there is more to come,” said Weaver.
“It has been encouraging the amount of shots we’ve had in the last couple of games. It was a great finish from Tom and a great delivery from Reece Smith – it was a quality moment.
“This is a difficult place to come and we stayed strong and we stayed in the game. When the goal went in the celebrations among the players showed the spirit the players have.
“I thought we played really well in the first half. We wanted to be on the front foot and we showed that and hopefully there is more to come.”
Harrogate offered a threat in the first half and Ian Lawlor – making his first start in goal for Crewe after signing from Doncaster – kept out a Shawn McCoulsky shot with his feet after Lewis Cass also blazed over a good opportunity.
But when Agius’ close-range finish from Lewis Billington’s cross edged Crewe ahead in the 61st minute, it looked an all too predictable outcome for a Harrogate side who have conceded 40 goals this term.
However, Crewe paid for not adding to Agius’ fourth league goal of the campaign with substitute Adrien Thibaut going closest, only be thwarted by a great save from Mark Oxley.
Deep into stoppage time, Smith’s cross was thrashed into the top corner by Cursons for the Harrogate equaliser.
Crewe boss Lee Bell said: “We didn’t work hard enough to create enough real clear-cut opportunities.
“Then in the 93rd minute we lose a header and it was a bitter pill to swallow, but this is proving to be all too regular.
“It was a poor game in the first half, but we showed up in the second half. We kept on going and they had a lot of bodies in and around the box, but things didn’t fall to us.
“But we should have been able to have seen the game out. We have to do better with situations like that.
“We’re not asking them to do difficult things, but we asking them for a bit of concentration in key moments.
“There is an accumulation now of points we are losing from positions we should be doing better in.”
