Harrogate Railway and Knaresborough Town to face off in local derby clash

A little over two miles separate the NCEL Premier Division rivals, who meet at Station View on Saturday, 3pm kick-off.

The clubs have enjoyed vastly different fortunes in the last few years with Railway struggling both on and off the pitch while Boro have been on an upward trajectory, winning the NCEL

Division One title last term and already establishing themselves as contenders for a second successive promotion.

The Manse Lane outfit currently sit fifth in the league standings, while the men from Starbeck are mired in the relegation zone, yet Town boss Paul Stansfield believes the form-book will go out of the window on Saturday afternoon.

“Form and league position won’t come into it, they rarely do in proper local derby matches like these,” he said.

“I think that all the expectation will be on us and that will probably suit them.

“It might not be a bad time to play us because we’ve lost three in a row, but obviously that is something we are looking to put right.

“We know it will be tough, but it’s a big game and we’re really looking forward to it.

“This kind of fixture is great for football in the local area and I’m sure it will attract a big crowd.”

Railway manager Craig Ogilvie echoed Stansfield’s sentiments about the pressure being on the visitors, but was quick to play down the significance of the fixture.

“It’s just another game to us,” he said.

“I expect that there will be a bigger crowd than normal and we’re looking foward to that, but we won’t treat this match any different to any other.

“There’s no pressure on our lads. On paper, Knaresborough should be beating us by three or four goals.

“I think we’ll see a good game, but I expect that they’ll try and hurt us by going direct because I’m not sure they’ll be able to live with us football-wise.”

For live updates and post-match reaction and from Saturday’s derby encounter, follow @HarrogateSport on Twitter.