Crewe Alexandra will look to make it back-to-back victories when they visit Harrogate Town for the first time ever on Saturday (3pm).
Lee Bell’s side will be on a high following a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hartlepool United on Tuesday, courtesy of a Callum Ainley strike and a first senior goal from Ryan Finnigan.
The Opposition
Harrogate currently sit 20th in League Two table on 28 points, two clear of 23rd placed Hartlepool, having played two games less than the struggling North East side.
Last time out, they earned an impressive 1-1 draw away to promotion chasers Salford City, with Jack Muldoon putting the Sulphurites in front before Matty Lund netted a late equaliser for the Greater Manchester side.
The Gaffer
Simon Weaver took charge of the North Yorkshire club in May 2009 when they were in the then-called Conference North, with father Irving appointed chairman at the same time. The Weavers have guided Town through the greatest part of their history, with Simon taking charge of more than 700 games.
In August 2020, Harrogate beat Notts County 3-1 in the National League Play-Off Final to earn them a place in the EFL.
Fighting Talk
Lee Bell: “The boys need to get ready for a high-energy game; they have pace and power up the top and won’t hesitate to try to get the ball in behind us. They will have a decent crowd behind them, and they will want to win the game due their position in the league. It will be a really tough game."
Simon Weaver: “We’re back to being on the front foot and being aggressive with our style and asking questions of the opposition by a high tempo style of play. More of the same is required on Saturday against a good group of solid of Crewe players.”
Team News
Sean Robertson is expected to return into the matchday squad after serving his one-match suspension. Christopher Long, Courtney Baker-Richardson, Kelvin Mellor and David Amoo remain sidelined.
Harrogate are expected to remain without Stephen Dooley, Kyle Ferguson and Kayne Ramsey as they continue to rehabilitate from long term injuries.
Head-to-Head
This will only be the second meeting between both sides, with the Alex winning the reverse fixture earlier on in the season 3-0 courtesy of goals from Dan Agyei, Kelvin Mellor and Courtney Baker-Richardson.
Officials
Lewis Smith will take charge of proceedings on Saturday afternoon, refereeing his first Alex match in his career.
He will be assisted by Abbas Khan and Stephen Wade, with Steven Rushton appointed as fourth official.
Ticket Details
For ticket information on this fixture click HERE.
How To Get There
To access an away fans' guide to matches at Harrogate click HERE.
Elsewhere in League Two
AFC Wimbledon v Hartlepool United; Bradford City v Barrow; Carlisle United v Colchester United; Leyton Orient v Crawley Town; Northampton Town v Grimsby Town; Rochdale v Gillingham; Salford City v Swindon Town; Stockport County v Stevenage; Sutton United v Doncaster Rovers; Tranmere Rovers v Mansfield Town; Walsall v Newport County.
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