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27
Feb
Harrogate Town vs Cheltenham: Sulphurites have chance to put pressure on relegation rivals
Harrogate Town have the chance to put pressure on their relegation rivals today (February 27) when they face Cheltenham Town in League Two’s only Friday fixture.
With Harrogate on 26 points, Barrow on 27 and Crawley on 28, Harrogate could leapfrog the two sides should they beat The Robins.
Simon Weaver’s side have played with a newfound confidence in recent weeks. Nine new January signings have certainly helped.
Henry Gray, Cathal Heffernan, Chanse Headman, Tobias Brenan and Emile Acquah have all slotted straight into the starting 11 and have had a profound impact on the club’s form.
The Sulphurites are now unbeaten in four League Two matches, winning two. They have kept two clean sheets in a row for the first time since September.
And although they couldn’t get the three points last Saturday, the Wetherby Road side dominated league leaders Bromley in North Yorkshire.
Harrogate had 25 shots to Bromley’s 6, and looked much the better side throughout the game. The belief could be felt and heard around the ground, which was reciprocated by the players.
The atmosphere at The Exercise Stadium could be crucial again today.
In a post-match interview with the Stray Ferret last Saturday (February 21), Weaver said:
[The atmosphere] lifts us all, and we all want to come in excited about training and playing games, and not be daunted about the prospect of playing any game. We’ll take anyone on right now, and we feel like we’re playing good enough football to cut through any team.
It’s not about crash, bang, wallop our way to survival. We’re going to try to play our way to survival at the right times, be brave, and show courage. We’ve got to give the players confidence to do that – the fans can help and did help today.
Since the appointment of their new manager Steve Cotterill in September, Cheltenham have managed to pull themselves a considerable margin away from the relegation zone.
They are in a similar vein of form as Town, having won one and drawn two in their last three matches.
The two sides played out a 1-1 draw in Gloucestershire in December, when Town fielded a much-depleted side.
With a fresh squad and a restored morale, Harrogate fans will be confident they can take one step closer to safety.
Harrogate host Cheltenham at 7.45pm tonight.
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