Harrogate Town striker Luke Armstrong refused to play in the club's opening day victory over Doncaster Rovers.
Harrogate Town striker refuses to play amid transfer interest Harrogate Town beat Doncaster Rovers on the opening day of the new League Two campaign on Saturday - but they were forced to do so without striker Luke Armstrong. Simon Weaver's side were 1-0 victors over Doncaster Rovers. at Eco-Power Stadium after Jack Muldoon struck from the penalty spot. But star striker Luke Armstrong ruled himself out of the match beforehand amid transfer speculation. In a statement, boss Simon Weaver said he was "disappointed" by the striker's decision. He said:
“We had a statement go out just after the team news was released, because I didn’t want the supporters to think we had left him out, that wasn’t the case. “We had tentative enquiries at the start of the week from other clubs about Luke and those have now led to proper offers. Those offers came after we had offered Luke a renewed contract and a three-year-deal, because he deserved it. “He has been a dedicated and fantastic player for us and we would love to keep him, however on Thursday he informed us he wanted to go and didn’t think he was in the right mindset to perform at his best today, which was disappointing news at the time.”Despite the offer of a new contract, Luke Armstrong has revealed his intention to leave the club. The striker, who scored 6 goals last season, has attracted interest from clubs in League One, League Two and Scotland. Simon added:
“Luke has been honest with me and told me he wants to move on and thought it would be detrimental to the team if he took to the field today. “The offer is still on the table from us for him to sign a new deal, but our position is clear; we have informed him and his agent that two things have to happen before Luke is able to leave the club, we have to do what is best for our club and get a significant fee for him and secondly we need a replacement that is going to make the fans proud.”Read more local stories from Your Harrogate here.
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