Cambridge United v Harrogate Town: Refreshed Sulphurites 'can't wait' to test themselves against high-flyers

The Sulphurites’ last two fixtures have been called off because of a frozen playing surface at their Wetherby Road home, meaning that by the time that they arrive at the Abbey Stadium this weekend, it will be two full weeks since they completed 90 minutes of football – at Oldham Athletic on Boxing Day.

And, while that enforced rest may not have come at the best of times given how well his team performed during their festive victory over the Latics, Weaver insists that there can be no excuses about any loss of momentum from his fully-energised squad.

“Looking at the players in training, they’re ready to go. Their reserves are fully stocked back up,we’ve had a good rest, and you could see how high the enery levels were in that first 10 minutes against Carlisle,” he said.

“There’s only so much training and preparing you can do, the lads need a match now. We can’t wait to get back at it. We are looking forward to playing for points.

“It’s going to be very tough going to Cambridge. They are up there in the table for a reason, we know that, but the challenge is one that we relish.

“Having a two-week break maybe didn’t come at a great time for us. We were feeling really good after the Oldham performance and how we started against Carlisle, but there won’t be any excuses from us going forwards with regards to the interruption. We just have to make sure we prepare properly for each match, starting on Saturday.”

Cambridge currently sit fifth in the League Two standings and boast the division’s leading marksman in 18-goal striker Paul Mullin.

“He’s a very good player and they’re a very good team,” Weaver added.

"They're are strong all over, they have quality in all the key positions and while we have to aware of the threat that Mullin poses, particularly with those clever curved runs he makes in behind to beat the offside trap, if you focus too much on one player it can allow someone else to really hurt you.

“I think that Cambridge are doing so well because they’re a well-oiled machine, with a big goal-threat and they know how to mix it up. There are some teams who are one-trick ponies, but we know that Cambridge can go long to their strikers effectively, and also play out through their full-backs just as well.

"We expect a hard game, like every game at this level, but, when we're on it and we really put in an energetic and aggressively attacking performance, we've been in every game, so we expect to give Cambridge a good game and hopefully come away with points on the board."