Sonny Bradley has admitted that his early career loan spell at Sunday’s FA Cup opponents Harrogate was something of a rude awakening, but that he’s grateful to the Sulphurites’ long-serving boss, Simon Weaver, for giving him his first taste of men’s football.
After coming through the ranks at Hull, the centre back had a short stint at the then non-league North Yorkshire side in 2010.
Harrogate’s manager 12 years ago was Simon Weaver, just as he is now, and Bradley said: “He surely must be one of the longest serving in the EFL at one club.
“It was a short loan spell, I was at Hull at the time, I’d only played academy football, so I was unsure what it was going to be like going into non-league, up against men and, if I’m honest, I struggled a bit, I thought it was difficult, the Conference North.
“I thought it was tough, and at the same time it was a good experience for me. I can only thank Simon for allowing me to get my game time and after that I went and kicked on and played in the Football League, so it was a short spell, but certainly one I enjoyed.”
He added: “I wouldn’t say (it helped) shape my career but it gave me the experience of men’s football. No disrespect to that league but it wasn’t the best quality in the Conference North.
“But the physical element was certainly a lot different to the level I was playing. It was a brief spell, I was only there for a couple of months in total but the games I did play, I learned things in those games.
“I was also in the dressing room with men which gave me an idea of what it would be like when I stepped up into the first team, so I’m glad I went and got those games and it is a time I’m thankful for.”
In 2020, Harrogate got promoted to the Football League for the first time in their history via the Conference play-offs. They sit 11th in League Two, but they suffered three straight defeats after shocking League One Portsmouth at Fratton Park in the second round the FA Cup.
They have since won two back-to-back Football League Trophy ties, and Luton will be out to end their interest int he world’s oldest knockout competition.
“We don’t want them to have a good cup run obviously, but that’s for us to deal with that,” Bradley said, adding: “For us to play against Harrogate, we know it’s going to be a difficult game, not just a nice light game to get us ready for Bournemouth.
“We’re not thinking like that at all. If we don’t approach this game with the right mindset, the right attitude, there’s a real chance of us getting beat and them causing an upset.
“So, it’s about being professional, doing a job, getting the win and using that as kind of a springboard for the rest of the season, then we go into a tough run of games starting with the best team in the league, in Bournemouth.”
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