Harrogate Town welcome Doncaster Rovers to the Envirovent Stadium for a bottom-half League Two clash on Saturday.
Both sides will be looking up rather than down despite their positions in the bottom half, with the middle of League Two very congested in the early stages of the second half of the season.
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Harrogate come into the fixture all the way down in 14th, but they are remarkably just five points shy of the playoff places.
Their position has been boosted by some positive results which saw them round off 2023 in fine style, including against promotion-chasing Notts County here at home.
Another home win followed soon after as Accrington Stanley were beaten on Boxing Day, but their final game of 2023 ultimately ended in defeat to an in-form Tranmere Rovers side.
It looked as though Simon Weaver‘s side were going to make amends for that defeat on New Year’s Day though, but a heartbreaking 93rd-minute equaliser by Morecambe’s Jacob Bedeau saw them squander a lead for a second time, making them settle for just a point.
Despite some recent wins on home soil, Harrogate have struggled to make it a fortress this season, as only the bottom two and Salford City have taken fewer points in their own back yard.
Doncaster will look to take advantage of Harrogate’s home struggles this campaign to maintain a comfortable distance between themselves and the bottom three.
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Poor starts from Forest Green Rovers and Sutton United means relegation from League Two could be decided relatively early this season.
Doncaster have barely averaged over a point-per-game but still find themselves 10 points clear of the drop zone, despite being down in 19th.
Even five games without a win to finish 2023 did little to push them closer to trouble, as they took just two points in that time, conceding 12.
However, Grant McCann‘s side made the perfect start to 2024, thrashing MK Dons 3-0 on New Year’s Day to end that barren run.
It is unlikely they will move from 19th this weekend though regardless of the result here, as Grimsby Town below them and Newport County above are not in action due to the FA Cup, and they would need a huge swing in goal difference to catch the side in 18th.
Harrogate have had the edge over Doncaster in their three professional meetings, all of which took place in 2023, as the hosts won in the reverse back in August to claim victory at the Keepmoat Stadium for a second season running, while the spoils were shared in the fixture here last season, with Harrogate coming from 2-0 down to claim a draw.
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Harrogate are set to remain without their first-choice goalkeeper Mark Oxley through injury, so James Belshaw is set to continue in goal on his emergency loan from Bristol Rovers.
There are further injury concerns in defence too for manager Weaver, as Rod McDonald and Toby Sims are also both currently sidelined.
Doncaster’s injury list is significantly longer though, with defensive trio Tom Anderson, James Maxwell and Richard Wood all currently out.
Along with them, Zain Westbrooke will also be a big miss, as Will Flint and Jon Taylor are also nursing injuries.
If Doncaster are to have any joy in this one, then Joe Ironside is likely to be on form, as the visiting striker has scored seven goals in his last 11 games and is currently the first name on the teamsheet.
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; Ramsay, O’Connor, Gibson, Foulds; Cornelius, Falkingham, Odoh; Thomson, Folarin, Muldoon
Doncaster Rovers possible starting lineup:
Jones; Sterry, Olowu, Bailey, Senior; Biggins, Close, Rowe; Molyneux, Ironside, Faal
Despite struggles at home this season, Harrogate have shown signs of turning that around with two fine wins at home around the festive period.
Given that only Sutton have taken fewer points than Donny’s eight on the road from a possible 36 this season suggests the visitors are slightly fortunate not many sides in League Two are in action this weekend, as this could be another tough afternoon.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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