Harrogate Town test will be 'as tough' as playing Premier League Aston Villa, says Stevenage FC boss Steve Evans

Stevenage manager Steve Evans celebrates his side's FA Cup third-round win over Aston Villa at Villa Park. Picture: Clive Mason/Getty Images.

The Boro head to Wetherby Road second in the League Two standings to take on the 19th-placed Sulphurites fresh off the back of their giant-killing at Villa Park.

The Hertfordshire outfit fought back from a goal down to record a 2-1 victory over a side made up of the likes of Phillipe Coutinho and Danny Ings and produce the shock of the competition’s third round.

But the vastly-experienced Evans insists that going up against Simon Weaver’s Town will be no easier.

Harrogate Town boss Simon Weaver is the longest-serving manager in the Football League. Picture: Matt Kirkham

"We need to get ready for a tough game on Saturday and I can assure you that it [playing Harrogate] will be as tough as it was on Sunday,” he said.

“This is the toughest game of the season. I remember back in the day when I took Crawley Town to Old Trafford and we lost 1-0 but should have beaten Manchester United.

"Sir Alex [Ferguson] is on record saying that the best team lost on the day, but the interesting thing that he said to me just before I left Old Trafford was that ‘your next two games are your most important of the season, and if you take care of them you’ll win promotion’.

"We scored late in both of those games to win and we comfortably won promotion. Now that doesn’t mean that if we win the next two then we will get promoted, but it will show that the group can focus very quickly on the core objectives of the season, which is league action.”

Harrogate Town were held to a goalless draw by Stevenage last time the sides met at Wetherby Road, in September 2021. Picture: Matt Kirkham

On the prospect of going head-to-head with his opposite number, who is into his 14th year in charge of Town, Evans added: "Simon Weaver has been there for an age because he has done a good job season upon season, that’s why he is there.

"He gets outstanding backing from his chairman and his board, albeit on comparative levels like we all do.

"Simon was a real competitor as a player, he played against my teams many times and he’s a real competitor as a manager.

"So, we know how tough it is going to be today, we don’t need to wait until 3pm on Saturday to realise that Harrogate away for us will be tough.”

While Evans may be certain that Harrogate will provide his team with a serious test this weekend, history does not necessarily suggest that will be the case.

Town are winless in all five of their previous meetings with Stevenage and have not managed to score a single goal against them in more than seven-and-a-half hours of football.

The Sulphurites have lost three and drawn two of those matches, with the Boro’s trips to the EnviroVent Stadium in both 2020/21 and 2021/22 ending in stalemate.

Stevenage had much the better of things when the teams faced-off at the Lamex Stadium back in September, but required a last-gasp header from Dan Sweeney to take all three points having squandered a number of clear goal-scoring opportunities during a game which saw Harrogate stopper Pete Jameson produce an inspired performance.

This Saturday’s encounter gets underway at Wetherby Road at 3pm, with match tickets available to purchase online right up until kick-off.