Harrogate Town V Barrow AFC: Sulphurites braced for serious test from Bluebirds

Harrogate Town lost out 1-0 the last time they went head-to-head with Barrow. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

The Bluebirds arrive in North Yorkshire 10th in the League Two standings and unbeaten in their last five matches.

Their recent good run of form has seen them beat high-flying Bradford and Stockport as well as holding play-off hopefuls Salford and Sutton to draws.

They did struggle for points during December, January and February but their flying start to the campaign which saw them challenging right at the top of the table means that they are still within touching distance of the promotion picture.

Harrogate Town manager Simon Weaver has not seen his team win at home this year.

And Weaver will certainly not be underestimating the threat that Pete Wild’s men will bring this weekend.

“We are up against an outfit on Saturday who I think have been one of the better teams in the division at stages of this season,” the Harrogate chief said.

"They’ve been playing five at the back of late and their good run has been built on solidity. I think it is since they went to Stevenage and conceded five that they’ve changed it at the back and it’s been working for them.

"They've got some quality in front of that and lads who are up for it every single game, that’s for sure. They have players who are wanting to prove a point at this level – and they’ve been doing that.

“They’ve been pretty consistent, which is why they’re a fair bit higher up the league than us right now.”

Town head into Saturday’s game looking for a first win in eight home outings having not taken three points at Wetherby Road since they beat Grimsby 3-2 in dramatic fashion on Boxing Day.

On what his players need to do to achieve a long-overdue three points on their own turf, Weaver said: “I don’t think we need to do too much different to recent home games.

"Against Gillingham, Northampton and Crewe we have played well against three good sides and had enough chances to win all of those matches.

"We have been creating opportunities to score while not really giving up too many chances at the other end, so I don’t think we need to rip things up in terms of our system or our approach or the personnel.”

Town head into Saturday’s contest 21st in the League Two standings, while Barrow are unbeaten in five games and will arrive in North Yorkshire 10th in the table, just four points off the play-off spots.

The Sulphurites lost out 1-0 up in Cumbria earlier this season but have come out on top in both of their previous home League Two clashes with the Bluebirds.

Jack Muldoon scored the only goal of the game in 2020/21, while Alex Pattison’s second-half brace saw Weaver’s men recover from Offrande Zanzala’s early opener to win last term’s clash at Wetherby Road by a 2-1 scoreline.