Harrogate Town v Carlisle United: Warren Burrell says Sulphurites must start fast once again if they are to upset league leaders

There were barley 40 seconds on the clock when Connor Kirby headed the Sulphurites into the lead on December 29 as the home side blitzed their high-flying visitors from the off.

Despite the freezing cold conditions, Town were on fire and went on to dominate the entirety of that night's contest - all 10 minutes of it.

Sadly for them, referee Martin Coy decided at 7.57pm that the pitch which he had deemed playable at 5pm, and still okay at 7.45pm, had suddenly become unsafe and the match was abandoned.

So, that positive start ultimately counted for nothing and the teams must do it all again this Tuesday.

For Warren Burrell, it is essential that Harrogate pick up precisely where they left off if they are to turn over in-form opposition who now sit at the very top of League Two.

"Obviously we can refer back to last month's match, but this is a completely different game now," the versatile defender said.

"This time, Carlisle will expect us to start fast, so we have to make sure that we don't disappoint. We need to play with that same intensity.

"It was only 10 minutes, but they didn't seem to be able to match our energy and we had them on the back foot. We have to do that again.

"However we start the game, we know it's going to be very tough regardless, they are where they are in the table for a reason. We will need to be at our best to get a result."

Town were beaten 2-1 by Cambridge United - another of the division's title-chasers - last time out, a game which they once again began superbly.

Jack Muldoon's 10th goal of the season handed Simon Weaver's team an early lead, but they failed to build on it, retreating into their shells in an attempt to protect what they had.

Burrell does not feel that he and his team-mates can afford to make the same mistake twice.

"We did start really well on Saturday, but Cambridge changed their formation to match us up and we found it hard to get to grips with that. They were much the better team in the second half and deserved the result in the end," he added.

"We were playing good football and we have to find a way to make sure we keep up that tempo if we want to win these games against the better teams.

"If we get a 1-0 lead we need to try and build on it and not start thinking that we just need to protect what we have."

Saturday's loss at the Abbey Stadium saw all five of Harrogate's January signings make their debuts.

Three of the new recruits - Josh March, Josh McPake and Mitchell Roberts - were all thrown in from the start after Aaron Martin, Brendan Kiernan and Ryan Fallowfield were ruled out due to testing positive for Covid-19.

Burrell concedes that the circumstances were far from ideal for his new colleagues, but is confident that they will help the club climb the league table in weeks to come.

"The new lads didn't have much time to train, so it wasn't easy for them or us as a team. It takes some time to get to know new players and for them to settle in, of course it does," he said.

"But the gaffer has done his research. He's brought these lads in because he thinks they're good enough to make us better and capable of fitting in to the system we play here.

"They all did alright on Saturday and they will only get better the more they play with us, the more we train together.

"They're mostly young lads, so, as one of the older players, it is down to me and the other experienced members of the squad to help them. Hopefully it's only a matter of time before it all clicks."

Town's clash with Carlisle kicks-off at 7pm at the EnviroVent Stadium on Tuesday evening.