Notts County v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites must get balance right against 'expansive' Magpies

Harrogate Town lost out 3-0 the last time they visited Notts County in League Two. Picture: Jez Tighe/ProSportsImagesHarrogate Town lost out 3-0 the last time they visited Notts County in League Two. Picture: Jez Tighe/ProSportsImages
Harrogate Town lost out 3-0 the last time they visited Notts County in League Two. Picture: Jez Tighe/ProSportsImages
Harrogate Town travel to Notts County on Saturday afternoon, hoping to make it three games without defeat on the road.

The Sulphurites have won away from home just once in League Two this season, but have dug in to record gritty draws against Swindon and Carlisle over the last couple of weeks.

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The Magpies, in decent form and challenging near the top end of the division during the early weeks of the campaign, haven't exactly been on fire at home so far this term, picking up more points on their travels than they have done at Meadow Lane.

To date, Notts have beaten Grimsby, Accrington and AFC Wimbledon, while drawing with Fleetwood and losing to Port Vale and Gillingham.

Their most recent outing on home soil was against Wimbledon on Saturday and saw them triumph 1-0 thanks to a Matty Platt goal. In midweek, they drew 1-1 on the road at Barrow.

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"They are a very expansive, footballing team,” Harrogate boss Simon Weaver said. “They’ve got some good players in possession.

"The manager came in last year and there was a period of acclimatisation, but he’s known for expansive football and they will split from the back. It’s a brilliant pitch at Notts County and we know from looking at the stats that, in every game, they tend to dominate possession.

"Players like [David] McGoldrick and [Dan] Crowley, who’ve played at a higher level, can change it in the blink of an eye if they receive the ball in too much space.

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"So, we have got to get the balance right and then we have got to look after the ball because if we give it away cheaply then it will just become a defensive exercise and we want to be more ambitious than that because it would be great to get a result if we can manage it.”

Town have only visited Notts once before for a League Two fixture, losing 3-0 last season in a game which saw George Thomson miss a penalty with his side trailing by a solitary goal.

Their previous trip to Meadow Lane saw them win 1-0 courtesy of a Will Smith header in an FA Trophy semi-final tie back in 2020.

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Centre-half Rod McDonald, who was a key part of Harrogate's squad last season, joined County for an undisclosed fee in the summer, but has barely featured for his new club having picked up a knee injury in pre-season.

He did finally make his competitive debut last weekend, coming off the substitutes' bench late on against Wimbledon, then played 58 minutes from the start at Barrow, and is in contention to feature again this Saturday.

Town will definitely be without long-term casualties George Thomson (achilles) and Liam Gibson (hamstring) at Notts, while right-back Toby Sims is nursing a sore back.

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“We've got a little, minor worry with Toby,” Weaver said. “He has got a bruised lower back, but we think he will be alright.

"It’s tender to the touch, but he’s a brave lad and I'm sure he’ll be fine.”

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