Doncaster Rovers v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites would 'make a statement' with third consecutive win

The Sulphurites head to the Eco-Power Stadium for their first-ever competitive showdown with their Yorkshire rivals aiming to build on morale-boosting recent victories over Mansfield and Rochdale.

Following a run of just one win in 14 league outings, recent results have seen the Wetherby Road outfit pull five points clear of the relegation zone and breathed new life into their 2022/23 campaign.

And although Weaver concedes that his side remain very much embroiled in a scrap for survival at present, he believes that a derby triumph at the weekend might mean his players head into the hectic festive period with less cause to be looking over their shoulders.

"Saturday is a Yorkshire derby against a team half-an-hour down the road, so it’s a big game and of course another win would be massive for us,” he told the Harrogate Advertiser.

"Three victories on the bounce and you are making a move aren’t you, that is momentum.

"I think in most people’s eyes we go into this one as the underdogs and I think we would be making a bit of a statement with a win at Doncaster because for any team in any league, three wins in a row is significant progress.

"Of course it will be tough going there, but if we can get a result then maybe we can start looking up the table rather than over our shoulders quite as much.

"We’d love to sign off for Christmas with a third consecutive good league performance. That would be a great feeling to take into Christmas Day with some big games to come after that.”

Town romped to a 4-1 triumph at Rochdale on December 3, but were denied the chance to build on arguably their finest performance of the season to date due to last weekend’s home clash with Northampton being called off due to a frozen pitch.

"Obviously we would have liked to carry the momentum from Rochdale into the Northampton game, but I’m confident that we’ll still have it at Doncaster,” Weaver added.

"The evidence in training suggests that the lads are still feeling really good about themselves.

"They have been excellent and the atmosphere has been great. The mood in the camp was positive anyway, but there’s nothing quite like a really good win away from home to really lift things even more.”

Town’s Wetherby Road pitch was deemed playable last Friday afternoon, but the match referee decided to call Saturday’s clash with the Cobblers off having taken a second look at the playing surface at 8am on the morning of the game.

"I was a bit surprised by the decision, actually,” revealed Weaver.

"The pitch was fine, but it was the run-off to the side that the referee was concerned about.

"Obviously we really wanted the game on, so it is a bit frustrating, but it is just one of those things that can happen in this country at this time of the year.

"It comes down to one person’s decision but we would never argue against it in circumstances such as Saturday’s because you have to be sensible when it comes to the safety of the players.

"We would never want to risk having someone sliding off the pitch and potentially getting seriously hurt.”