Bolton Wanderers v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites eye an upset after being handed toughest-possible FA Cup test

A comprehensive 5-1 victory over non-league Marine earlier this month saw the League Two Sulphurites progress through to the second-round stage, where they will travel to Bolton Wanderers.

And with the Trotters currently flying high at the top of League One, Simon Weaver’s men literally couldn’t have been handed a tougher assignment.

Not only are Wanderers leading the way in the third tier, their recent form has been absolutely sensational.

Last weekend’s 7-0 mauling of Exeter City was their eighth win in a row in all competitions, a run which saw them go more than nine hours of football without conceding even a single goal.

On the challenge facing him and his team-mates at the weekend, experienced Harrogate forward Jack Muldoon said: “Obviously it’s going to be a really tough game. Bolton are doing very well, they are top of the league above and have just thumped Exeter 7-0, and they are no slouches.

"Going there, away from home makes it even more difficult, especially with the size of their pitch. But I still fancy our chances, 100 percent we can go there and get a result.

“We’ve got some lads who are playing really well at the minute. The likes of Dools [Stephen Dooley], Thommo [George Thomson] and Ibby [Abraham Odoh] are performing and, as a team, I think things have started to come together for us.

“We’ve got a lot of lads who have played so many games together now, which makes a big difference and so as long as we stick together on Saturday and have each other’s backs then we have a chance of causing an upset.”

Town will be without centre-half Rod McDonald (knee) and striker Sam Folarin (hamstring) at Bolton, though midfielders Matty Daly and Levi Sutton are back in training and are likely to return to Weaver’s squad.