Crewe Alexandra v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites are still 'very much in the fight'

The Sulphurites head into Saturday's contest with Crewe Alexandra (3pm) bottom of the table and winless in 14 league matches - a run of form which stretches all the way back to the end of September.

But, manager Simon Weaver insists that his side remain “very much in the fight” despite that dreadful sequence of results - which has seen them take just three points from the last 42 on offer – and began with a 2-1 home loss to this weekend's opponents, on October 6.

Town actually took the lead in that match, courtesy of Jack Muldoon's early header, but have not scored a league goal at Wetherby Road since, meaning that more than 10 hours of football have passed since they last found the net in front of their own fans.

Reece Hutchinson levelled things up before half-time and Max Sanders' late strike then earned the Railwaymen all three points, extending their fine record in fixtures with Harrogate.

Things have gone from bad to worse for Town since that defeat, and although he knows that beating Crewe will be no easy task, Weaver has stressed to his players the importance that they remain just one win away from safety.

"Crewe are a handful, they are very fluid as a team, which is why we have got to make sure that the system that we deploy on Saturday is up to the task - and able to be brave as well,” he said.

"We have just got to show resilience at this moment in time and remember that we are only one win away from where we need to be. It is just 90 minutes away.

"We have got to fight every second of the game, and stay united to be able to get through this. But, as much as it has been a trying time, we are still very much in the fight.”

Crewe are unbeaten in eight previous Football League meetings with the Sulphurites and have won five of those games.

Town's most recent visit to Gresty Road saw them beaten 1-0 in an EFL Trophy tie in October 2024, with that defeat following on from a 3-0 league loss just a couple of weeks earlier.

They were also beaten by the same score-line when they first visited Crewe, in August 2022, with their only positive result at the Mornflake Stadium coming during the 2023/24 season when they managed a goalless draw.

Lee Bell's team currently sit 10th in the table, five points shy of the play-off places but having played a game less than Chesterfield, who are seventh.

They have won 10 of their 24 fixtures to date, though their recent form is rather mixed and has brought just two victories in their previous nine league outings.

One of those successes did however come last time out, when they cruised to a 4-1 home triumph over Cheltenham.

So far at home in 2025/26, the Alex have taken all three points from six out of 12 league games, drawing three and losing three.