Harrogate Town away preview for Saturday

[Sweden Stag]

From beating a struggling side (Rochdale) to playing another one on the road (Harrogate Town) is the venue for the Stags this weekend.

While the Stags beat Rochdale last weekend, their fifth three-pointer on the road so far, Harrogate Town lost at home to League Two leaders Leyton Orient to a 2-0 scoreline, leaving Harrogate just one point above the drop zone along with Gillingham.

And fact is that, since beating Gillingham away to a 2-0 scoreline in August, Harrogate Town have won just one out of their subsequent fourteen League Two outings, and that was against Hartlepool at headquarters to a 2-1 scoreline a month ago.

But unlike some other fellow strugglers, Harrogate Town have not pulled the panic button or trigger when it comes to management. Their current boss, Simon Weaver, have managed in North Yorkshire ever since the year 2009, a very good feat in modern football. Weaver has overseen the Harrogate rise from Conf North to League Two, where Harrogate Town now are in their third-ever EFL campaign.

Last season, the sides played out a goal-less draw at Harrogate, which then meant that a record-breaking Stags EFL winning run of eight consecutive victories came to an end. That was also the Stags’ first-ever point against Harrogate Town.

That one might have been the revenge mission at Harrogate Town as they beat the Stags to a 3-1 scoreline at One Call early on last season in a feisty encounter which saw two Stags red cards in quick succession moments after the ref officiating then missed a stonewall penalty for the Stags.

At that time, Harrogate Town were riding high in the table, and still after eleven games in second position following a 6-1 rout of Scunthorpe in early October, while the Stags were on a poor run which culminated in bottom-but-one position before the Stags’ home fixture against Tranmere in late October.

While the Stags eventually reached the playoffs last campaign, Harrogate slid down the table to lower mid-table tedium without ever being in danger of dropping back into Conference National.

Before last season’s draw at Harrogaye, the Stags had lost all games against them in all competitions (three League games and an EFL Cup one).

The home fixture last season and the ones between the sides in 2020-21 highlighted very much the Stags’ problems against newly-promoted sides in preview history. The proof: both games against Harrogate were lost by the only goal of the game after very poor displays, enough printed. The Stags also lost both games against that season’s other promoted side, namely Barrow AFC. And in the season before, the Stags lost both games against Leyton Orient and the one which was played against Salford City. Last season, the Stags lost both fixtures against Sutton as well.

The 2020-21 season was Harrogate Town’s first ever in the EFL. Well there, they finished lower mid-table, one position below the Stags and lost ten home games, only Oldham and relegated Southend lost more on home soil last term. But Harrogate Town won eight games on the road, including their debut game, acomprehensive 4-0 victory at Southend almost a year ago. Last season, Harrogate Town also lost ten at headquarters, more than any other surviving League Two side. Only last season’s two relegated sides now struggling even in Conf National, Oldham and Scunthorpe, lost more games at headquarters than Harrogate Town.

There has at least been THREE players who have played for the Stags and Harrogate Town in recent history. Research has revealed that Paul Bolland was the first one. Ten games for the Stags followed a loan move to Harrogate Town where he played 55 Conference North games over two seasons around 2012-13. And in the 2012-13 season, Harrogate Town reached the FA Cup second round for the first time. After beating Torquay, Harrogate Town lost the second round away replay at Hastings on penalties after an epic tie. The winner was drawn away to Middlesbrough in the third round, that same third round in which the Stags played Liverpool at headquarters.

The second player is John McCombe. Signed by Paul Cox upon the League Two return, he managed just a handful games for the Stags before leaving for York City. After playing for Macclesfield and Chester, McCombe signed for Harrogate Town and played 14 games for them during the 2017-18 before leaving for Boston United without playing. The most recent club for McCombe was Hyde United, a side the Stags faced during the 2012-13 conf winning campaign.

Warren Burrell played in the Stags’ final 2007-08 League Two fixture at Dagenham & Redbridge but has represented Harrogate Town since 2016, having played in over 180 EFL and Conf games since then and scored in their 3-3 home draw against Carlisle recently.

Before reaching the FA Cup second round in 2012-13, Harrogate Town had reached the first round a decade earlier for the first time ever, losing at Farnborough to a 5-1 scoreline. In 2005-06, the first round was reached again, only to lose a replay against Torquay on penalties, but revenge was sealed in 2012 when Harrogate again were drawn against the Gulls. On November 3, 2012, Harrogate clipped the Gulls at a venue well-known to the previewer. At Plainmoor, Harrogate triumphed to a 1-0 scoreline and the long journey home to Yorkshire was definitely victorious.

Except a stern test on Saturday. Come on Mansfield!

[eggy]

Thorough as always Svante.

Pedant's corner - we lost in the Trophy last season, not the EFL Cup.

[yorkstag]

I wonder if the game might be at risk. Weather in Yorkshire has been awful all week.