Harrogate Town v AFC Fylde: Sulphurites have 'real desire to get through to next round' of the FA Cup

The Sulphurites set up this weekend’s clash with their National League rivals having overcome seventh-tier Bury after a replay in the competition’s fourth qualifying round.

Simon Weaver’s team have progressed beyond the first round proper on six previous occasions, reaching round two in 2012/13, 2020/21, 2022/23 and 2023/24.

In 2021/22, they made it as far as the third round before losing 4-0 to Championship Luton Town, then went down 1-0 at Leeds United at the same stage in 2024/25.

Last season, Town exited the competition in the first round following a 3-2 defeat away at Mansfield.

They head into Saturday’s contest in reasonable form having won five National League games on the spin before suffering a dismal 3-0 defeat to nine-man Carlisle United, then fighting back from two down to draw at Forest Green Rovers at the weekend.

Fylde, meanwhile, reached the first round courtesy of an emphatic 5-0 win over Northern Premier League Division One outfit Atherton Collieries in the fourth qualifying round.

Promoted from National League North as champions at the end of last season, the Coasters have made a strong start to life back in the fifth tier, and currently sit fourth in the table, just two places and three points worse off than Harrogate.

Indeed, Craig Mahon’s men have already beaten Town at Wetherby Road this season, having nicked a 2-1 victory in mid-September.

"We were proud of our performance that night, not the outcome, but the performance,” Weaver said. “We lost on that occasion, and we’d like to put that right.

"It was a very closely-fought game, and it will be a battle on Saturday. It’s a one-off game in the FA Cup, which brings with it emotion, and a real desire to get through to the next round.

"I think that both teams commit to a certain style of play so there will be a familiarity about that, but it is going to be a difficult game.

"We want to start on the front foot like last time we played Fylde, when we could have had a penalty after 30 seconds.”

That success, in a game that saw the Sulphurites dominate possession before running out of both steam and ideas, was one of nine that Fylde have managed in 16 National League outings to date.

Their two most recent league outings have ended 3-1 in their favour with Hornchurch seen off on Friday evening, just three days after Hartlepool United had suffered the same fate.

Fylde’s overall record against Town is extremely healthy, with the Lancastrians having won seven of the previous 14 encounters and lost only twice.

The club’s most successful FA Cup campaign came during the 2019/20 season when they reached the third round before going down 2-1 away at Sheffield United, then of the Premier League.

In 2017/18, the Coasters made it to the competition’s second round where they took League One Wigan Athletic to a replay after drawing 1-1 at Mill Farm, eventually going on to suffer a 3-2 defeat.

Both Harrogate and Fylde banked £9,375 in prize money after progressing into round one, with the winners of Saturday’s tie set to earn themselves a further £47,750.

The losers will still pocket a sizeable £15,800.