Harrogate Town v Oldham Athletic: Simon Weaver demands positivity, focus and steel

Harrogate Town were beaten 3-0 the last time Oldham Athletic visited Wetherby Road. Pictures: Matt Kirkham

The Sulphurites head into the game winless in five League Two matches having not secured three points since November 23, while their wait for a league success on home soil stretches back as far as early October.

Beaten 4-0 on the road at Newport County last weekend, Town have slipped out of the play-off picture and now sit 14th in the table, eight points shy of the top-seven.

But, Weaver believes that if they can approach their clash with the Latics in the right frame of mind, tighten up at the back and pick up a long-overdue victory, then the overall picture will look a lot healthier.

"We've got to get in front of the home crowd and put in a really positive performance," he said.

"As much as you are hurting after the weekend and things have had to be bluntly pointed out, now is the time to be really upbeat.

"Results by and large are a pretty mixed bag apart from right at the top end, the top two or three. There were a real mixed bag of results in midweek again, so we are not too far off where we really want to aim for, which is that top-10. If you break into that top-10 anything can happen.

"But, at the same time being 14th, just below mid-table where we are now, we want to get away from that bottom section, 15 points away and then with that hopefully people relax a bit and play with a bit more ease.

"But, for Saturday, we have to be really focused, really steely and up for it because Oldham are very fluid opposition, so they will take chances and split at the back.

"If you don't press together and get your recovery runs right you can be made to feel quite open, so that element will be tested - and we didn't pass the test last week. Hopefully we've improved in time for Saturday."

Basement boys Oldham head to North Yorkshire without a goal in three matches and without a win in six in all competitions.

The last time the Latics tasted victory in the league was on November 20, three days before Town's most recent three-point haul, achieved courtesy of a 2-0 success on the road at Carlisle United.

Since then, Weaver's men have drawn one and lost four on the bounce in League Two.

Kick-off at the EnviroVent Stadium on Saturday afternoon is at 3pm.