Leyton Orient v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites must do more than just 'have a go' against league leaders

The Sulphurites travel to London to take on top-of-the-table Leyton Orient (3pm), aiming to secure a result which will prevent them slipping into the relegation zone.

Currently 20th in the table and just two points clear of the bottom two, the Wetherby Road outfit know that they will have their work cut out against opponents who have won 14 of their 20 home league fixtures this term and lost only once.

But Town boss Simon Weaver insists that his side head to the capital intending to do more than just “have a go”.

He said: “It’s a nice open pitch at Leyton Orient where we can get the ball down and play, and we will attempt to do so.

"It won’t be easy because they are pushing for the title, but we have to go there with belief and I won’t accept otherwise.

"I remember when we went there in the National League when Justin Edinburgh had won the title. There was a carnival atmosphere and we had three or four players who didn’t fully believe they were that level yet – and I picked up on it.

"This time, we can’t just go there to make up the numbers. We’re not sitting on a coach for four hours on a Sunday and missing time away from our families to just go there and ‘have a go.’

"Having a go is hobby-time, this is about going there and getting something. We need to go there as serious professionals, who live for winning.”

Town staged a remarkable late recovery in their previous outing, with goals from Luke Armstrong and Levi Sutton earning them a 2-2 draw at home to AFC Wimbledon.

And while Weaver believes that the way his side finished the game will provide them with a huge confidence boost, he says they cannot afford to start Monday’s contest as slowly as they did on Good Friday.

"We go there upbeat and buoyed from those late goals on Friday,” he added.

"Going into a tough game at Leyton Orient, we knew that it was vital that we got something against Wimbledon, so it’s morale-boosting for us how it ended.

"Psychologically, I think it gives us a boost. What happened in the last 10 minutes means that there’s a very different atmosphere to how it would have been if we’d have lost.

"I think it bodes well, but we can’t be playing with the handbrake on for half an hour until something goes wrong and then we react, this is about grabbing the moment and showing others, as well as ourselves that we belong at this level.

"We’d rather be fighting it out with Leyton Orient for the title, but we’ve got to embrace the challenge that we face and relish it.”

Harrogate’s previous visit to Orient saw them triumph 2-0 at the start of the 2021/22 season, Luke Armstrong bagging an early brace before goalkeeper Mark Oxley saved a second-half spot-kick.