Goals will continue to flow for Harrogate Town's Sam Folarin if pacy attacker keeps on believing

The 22-year-old former Middlesbrough attacker opened his account for 2023/24 with an eye-catching long-range strike in Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup success over Carlisle United, that effort sufficient to send the Sulphurites through to the competition’s second round.

It follows on from his promising finish to the previous campaign, where he netted a couple of important goals to help Weaver’s men drag themselves clear of the League Two relegation zone.

A transfer deadline day arrival at Wetherby Road last August, his early form in a Town shirt was extremely consistent, but Harrogate’s manager feels that things are really starting to come together for a player he says is by far the quickest he has ever worked with.

"I think that Sam and I have grown to understand each other a lot better over the course of the last year,” Weaver said.

"I believe that he has got goals in him, and that if he keeps on believing and isn’t too worried about playing too safe, then he will continue to do a fantastic job for this football club.

"I keep telling him that he is not a one-trick pony, he’s not just all pace and a speedboat with no driver – far from it. He is blessed with ability and we want him to believe in himself and enjoy his football.

"He enjoys it when he’s getting at defenders, taking people on and showing people how athletic he is.

"He has got strength to go with the pace, a lot of ability and he showed that with his finish against Carlisle, there was such guile in that strike. It was brilliant.”

With wantaway striker Luke Armstrong once again not involved against the Cumbrians and Jack Muldoon rested following his exertions during Saturday’s opening-day triumph over Doncaster Rovers, Tuesday saw Folarin deployed as the spearhead of Town’s attack.

He has tended to operate out wide since joining Harrogate last year, or as part of a front two, but Weaver was thrilled with how he adapted to his new role.

“It was new for him playing straight down the middle for us in the 4-2-3-1 system,” the Sulphurites chief said.

"I wanted a really slippery frontman performance from him because he’s not a target man and he’s not a number 10 who will drop in all the time. We were hoping to maximise the opportunities to run in behind.

"We asked him to play off the middle centre-half of their back three and then look to spin in-between them – and it worked a treat because we have good passers of the ball around him.

"His pace troubled Carlisle all night and I thought that he was fantastic."

Folarin made 30 appearances for Town in all competitions last term, netting four times and contributing two assists. He has one goal from two starts so far this season.

Tuesday night’s winner came after he received a pass from Matty Daly, drove at Carlisle centre-half Sam Lavelle and then stroked a 25-yard effort past the despairing dive of Tomas Holy and into the bottom corner.