Harrogate Town depleted by virus ahead of Carlisle United clash

The Sulphurites, who were missing six men through illness and injury at Port Vale in midweek, had just seven members of personnel fit enough to train on Thursday morning.

And although manager Simon Weaver is hopeful that the situation inside the Town camp will improve somewhat ahead of Saturday’s crunch clash with the Cumbrians, it appears inevitable that they will be significantly under strength.

“We are looking a bit depleted at the moment,” Harrogate’s manager revealed.

“The illness is still there and the training ground was quite depleted on Thursday. There were only seven players who were training, so we’ll have to see how we are for the weekend.

“Lads are ill. The symptoms are flu-like and people are in bed and not able to get up through the day. They have been wiped out.

“It’s difficult but this is just another obstacle that we have to overcome. We have got a lot of grit in there and we have just got to try to find a way.”

Josh March and Ben Fox missed Tuesday’s game at Vale Park through injury, while Tom Hill and Tom Cursons both limped off during the latter stages of that goalless draw.

Leading goal-scorer March could return this Saturday, and fellow forward Cursons faces a late fitness test, however Hill’s hamstring strain means that he will play no part.

Forward Jack Muldoon is another doubt due to an eye problem which has required hospital treatment.

Illness has ruled winger James Daly out of Town’s last two games, with previously ever-present centre-half Anthony O’Connor also wiped out by the same virus ahead of the midweek trip to Vale.

Both men were due to train separate to the rest of the group on Friday and will be hoping to make a similar to recovery to that of defenders Jasper Moon and Liam Gibson, who were both taken ill at the start of the week but were well enough to be included in Weaver’s match-day squad when Harrogate took on the Valiants.

Meanwhile, midfielder George Thomson, last season’s 18-goal top-scorer, remains on the long-term casualty list due to a troublesome Achilles issue.

Saturday’s match, which kicks-off at Wetherby Road at 3pm, is a huge one in terms of both Town and Carlisle’s respective survival bids.

Victory for 20th-placed Town could leave them as many as 11 points clear of the relegation zone and in an extremely healthy position with just 10 fixtures remaining.

A win for rock-bottom United could lift them out of the bottom two and would leave them seven points behind the Sulphurites with a game in hand.