Harrogate Town v Crewe Alexandra: Sulphurites boss will make changes after midweek disappointment

The Sulphurites boss was left extremely unhappy by the nature of Tuesday’s performance against Mansfield in a match that the Wetherby Road outfit went on to lose 4-1 having conceded three goals before half-time.

And, as a result, he says that at least a couple of other players will be given the chance to show what they can do against a Crew side who currently sit fifth in League Two, just a single point off the division’s automatic promotion places.

"On Saturday there may be a couple of changes, two or three changes to the line-up, because it wasn't good enough the other night.

"And I'm still really ambitious for us to do well this season, so I'm not going to have just a complete acceptance that because we have gone and done it against Newport and Colchester, then we can breathe a sigh of relief and just have an acceptance about losing to a top-three club.

"That's never going to be accepted by me, and that's why there'll be changes as I continue to search for a winning formula at home."

Weaver went on to explain that he isn’t expecting to have to make any enforced changes due to injury, but revealed that he won’t hesitate to drop any member of his squad who he feels isn’t 100 percent up to the task of helping Town end a run of four straight defeats on home soil.

“Sometimes there's been cases of players worried about hamstrings or a little bit of a niggle here or there,” he added.

"We've had instances of that like there are up and down the land, I'm sure, from talking to other managers after games, where people just want a rest in training.

"But, if there's anything that leads me to doubt someone's capability of attacking it full-on, and hitting fifth gear straight from the first minute, whether it's mentally or physically, then I'll change the line-up and go for the lads who are doing it in training.”

On what he expects from a Crewe team who were beaten 2-0 by top-of-the-table Stockport County in midweek but had lost just two of their previous 14 league matches this term, Weaver said: “They lost the other night, but still played well. They’ve got a lot of movement, so if we are disorganised, if we go gung-ho – as much as we want to attack – we’ll encourage them to play.

"They are one of the league’s top-scorers, so we have got to be careful, but not cagey. We have got to be sensible and pragmatic and find a way of winning the game.”

Town head into Saturday’s game 17th in the table having won four of their last seven in League Two but without a victory at home since beating Salford City 3-2 on September 23.

Last season’s corresponding fixture with Crewe ended in a 2-2 draw after Harrogate threw away a two-goal lead in the closing stages having looked in full control of the contest for most of the afternoon.

Kick-off at the EnviroVent Stadium is at 3pm.