Harrogate Town v Oldham Athletic: Sulphurites in urgent need of a result as they bid to 'come out of sticky patch'

The Sulphurites have lost four on the bounce in League Two and were also beaten 3-2 by Mansfield in the FA Cup first round last weekend.

Their dreadful run of league form has seen them plummet to 19th place in the table, where they now sit just two points above the relegation zone after 14 rounds of fixtures.

They hit a new low in their last outing on home soil, going down 3-0 to rock-bottom Newport County, a side that had managed to win just two of their first 13 League Two matches.

And, after such a dismal sequence of losses, the pressure is now on Simon Weaver and his players to deliver a performance and result that will both lift the gloom around Wetherby Road, and put a bit of daylight between themselves and the bottom two.

"There is pressure," the Town boss conceded. "But it is about how you interpret it.

"From our point of view, we want to be back at home and give the crowd something to cheer about because we owe them that.

"We've really worked hard at our own game this week, and tried to make strides, while taking the positives from Mansfield last week and running with them, so we can come out of the other side of a sticky patch - which is important for us.

"Oldham have adjusted well to promotion and their last performance, against Northampton, was top notch. So, they will be buoyed by that, but I am looking forward to Saturday, and I am sure that the lads are too.

"It's still early, and we can still be a very good team this season. We've had ups and downs - downs most recently - but we are mature enough to handle that, and to go again."

Although Oldham did enjoy a fine 3-1 FA Cup success over League One Northampton last time out, the Latics have also been struggling in the league of late.

Promoted from the National League via the play-offs at the end of last season, Micky Mellon's men currently sit two points and one place better off than Town, but have failed to win any of their previous five League Two outings.

They were beaten 3-0 on their most recent trip to Harrogate, in January 2022, but triumphed by the same score-line when they made their only previous visit.

If Town are to get back on track on Saturday, they will have to do so without the services of forward Conor McAleny, who has failed to shake off the groin niggle which kept him out of last weekend's trip to Mansfield.

He joins long-term casualties Lewis Cass (ankle), George Thomson (achilles), Tom Hill (hamstring) and Mason Bennett (groin) on the sidelines.

But, having spent just under four weeks out with a thigh problem, striker Shawn McCoulsky is in line for more minutes after he returned to action as a second-half substitute during the 3-2 loss at Mansfield last time out.

Saturday’s game could see club captain Warren Burrell equal Town’s all-time appearance record.

The long-serving 35-year-old has been struggling with a sore achilles in recent weeks and has remained an unused substitute during Harrogate’s previous two matches.

But he will play his 447th competitive game for the Sulphurites if selected against Oldham, and draw level with current record record-holder Paul Williamson.