IF York City boss Sam Collins is looking for advice on defeating upwardly-mobile Harrogate Town this weekend, he need look no further than two players in his own squad.

Whereas the Minstermen went down 2-0 in the first-ever league meetings against their North Yorkshire neighbours last season, a Spennymoor side, featuring summer Bootham Crescent recruits Joe Tait and Kallum Griffiths, completed a double over the eventual National League North play-off winners.

Only champions Salford could match that feat and, with most of the same squad intact as third-placed Harrogate challenge for Football League promotion this term, Tait reckons the midfield areas could provide the key battleground in Saturday’s FA Trophy clash.

Spennymoor beat Harrogate 3-1 at the Brewery Field and, then, 2-1 on the Wetherby Road 3G pitch and, on the formula for success against Simon Weaver’s men, Tait said: “We just did the basics really well, as Spennymoor are doing again this season.

“You’ve got to get the better of the man you’re up against and eight or nine of our players did by winning tackles and headers and making good decisions in the right areas. We also stifled them in the middle of the park, where they are organised and have energy with (Josh) Falkingham, who is like a little rat getting about you and making it difficult for you to play, but you have to do that as well and make them run back towards their own goal because no defender likes doing that.

“The chances we got, we put away too and, when the ball goes up to your focal point, you’ve got to get bodies past him. We can do all of that, but we’ve got to show it on a more consistent basis and start backing up the good performances like Kidderminster.”

Along with Salford, Spennymoor were the only National League North team to win on Harrogate’s synthetic surface in 2017/18 too and Tait made light of that perceived advantage for the hosts.

“I like football to be played on grass, but I’ve played there a few times and there’s no excuses,” he reasoned. “We’ve been training on the same surface all week and it’s still a game of football with the same principles.”

City supporters voiced their disgruntlement at both derby defeats last season, but the 28-year-old defender also insisted the match was one to relish and not to be feared.

“I’m sure the atmosphere will be good and we can make the away end noisy,” he enthused. “There will be quite a lot of people at the game and there will be no hiding place in relation to that, but I think it’s a good game for us, because it’s a local derby and we’ve just got to show what we are capable of. I don’t think there is a better game to show we have mental strength and character in the squad.

“They’re a good football team who are doing well in their league, but we’ve got lots of lads who have played higher as well.”

Tait went on to confess that the team must now fulfill their duty to supporters and manager Sam Collins following another disappointing defeat last weekend, when Boston ran out comfortable 2-0 home winners.

“The manager didn’t say a lot for the first ten or 15 minutes after the game at Boston but, when he did speak, it wasn’t positive, and we have to take responsibility for our individual performances on the pitch and the basic errors that are being made, because there’s only so much the manager can do once we’ve crossed the white line. People pay good money to come and watch us and we’ve got to hold our hands up to everything the manager said and start being accountable.

“We’ve had numerous meetings as players and this isn’t York City in the Football League, this is York City in National League North. It’s all well and good wearing the badge, playing in front of lots of unbelievable fans and getting looked after with good training ground facilities but, in six months’ time, there might not be many of us left here to enjoy those benefits, so we’ve got to put in performances that will make people proud.”

Tait also expressed his disappointment in one team-mate for posting videos of the players enjoying their Christmas party in Newcastle following the Boston loss, revealing: “That’s been brought up. It was a bit of inexperience and was a bit inconsiderate too.

“The way we are playing at the minute and the performances we’re putting in, some people might have said we didn’t deserve a Christmas party and rightly so.”