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11
Jan
‘We could cause them some problems’: Harrogate Town fans give verdict on FA Cup chances
Harrogate Town fans are braced for one of the biggest games in their history today.
The club travel down the A61 to face Leeds United in a competitive fixture for the first time ever.
More than 4,000 fans will head to Elland Road for the FA Cup third round tie, which is also set to be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
One of those who will be in the sold out away end is Rob Nixon, who managed to secure a ticket despite high demand.
Rob Nixon.
He told the Stray Ferret that he hoped the recent league win over Barrow would give confidence to the players.
He said:
I don’t feel too optimistic going in owing to our poor run of form since beating Gainsborough in the last round. But, we won at the the weekend so thankfully that’s come to an end and gives us some confidence going into the tie.
Harrogate booked their place in the third round after defeating Gainsborough Trinity 1-0 on November 29.
A victory at Elland Road this evening would secure £115,000 in prize money on top of the £120,000 already earned from advancing this far in the competition.
However, Rob is cautious about Town’s chances of causing an upset. He said:
If I’m being honest, I think the chances of a win are very slim. Leeds are a very strong side and even with a rotated squad I think they will be too strong for us.
That being said, some of our best results this season have come against stronger teams than us and we seem to play better when we have less possession and attack on the counter. So, I think we could definitely cause them some problems.
‘Not a chance’
On Friday, the Stray Ferret published a post on social media to ask readers whether they felt Town had a chance of causing an upset against Leeds.
Richard Fieldman, who runs a taxi service in Ripon, was unequivocal with his assessment. “Not a chance,” he said.
However, Ashley Hilton was positive with his view of Town’s chances. He pointed out that Leeds lost to lower-tier opposition in the FA Cup in 2021.
He said:
If Crawley can beat Bielsa’s Premier League Leeds 3-0 then yes.
Meanwhile, Simon Weaver, Town manager, said ahead of the match that his players needed to show “resilience and character” when they face Leeds.
He added that the tie was also a testament to the club's progress over the last five years.
Daniel Farke, Leeds manager, said he would rotate his side for the cup tie but still expected his players to show enough to get through to the fourth round.
For those not attending the match tomorrow, the Stray Ferret has put together a guide of pubs which will be showing the big game. You can find it here.
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