Harrogate Town are missing Joe Mattock, but experienced defender could return for FA Cup clash with Bradford City

The 32-year-old is back in training having been sidelined with a hamstring issue, and could feature when the Sulphurites visit Yorkshire rivals Bradford City in the FA Cup on Saturday.

Mattock, who has been arguably Harrogate’s most consistent performer this term since joining from Rotherham United over the summer, was substituted just before half-time in last month’s 1-1 home draw with Tranmere Rovers and his absence has certainly been felt during the two matches that followed.

Town looked all over the place at the back as they were torn apart by Walsall three days later, conceding three times before half-time on their way to a 3-1 defeat.

Weaver’s men then shipped three more poor goals at AFC Wimbledon last weekend, letting go of a 2-1 lead as they went down 3-2.

And, while he stressed that he wasn’t entirely dissatisfied with how Town defended against the Dons for the majority of that game, Weaver told the Harrogate Advertiser that he is looking forward to having Mattock back at his disposal.

"Joe’s due to step up his training on Thursday and Friday with a view to him potentially being included at Bradford this weekend,” the Sulphurites boss said.

"It might be a bit too soon, but we’ll see how he gets on. He has a chance for Saturday, whereas George Thomson isn’t ready yet after his own hamstring problem.

"It’s a positive for us because we feared we might not see either of them for quite some time and they’re both big characters and important players for us on and off the pitch.

"Losing Joe really dented us at Walsall. I think him not being there undermined confidence after a bad start to that game and we just weren’t the same. At Wimbledon, I actually thought we defended well for the majority of the match, but were caught out in some key moments.

"So, yes, we have missed him and it will be good to have him back, but that’s not to say I think Warren Burrell was at fault last Saturday. He had a good game, but we conceded three goals because collectively we weren’t good enough.”