Northampton Town will be looking to further prove their title credentials when they visit Harrogate Town's Wetherby Road this weekend.
Harrogate find themselves in 20th place after a horrendous start to the season and, though their form has picked up in the last six weeks, they hover precariously over the relegation places. Meanwhile, the visitors sit in third place, and will go into their away game confident of picking up all three points.
Match preview
© Reuters
Northampton have fully earned their place in the promotion discussion this season; though Leyton Orient and Stevenage have led the way for most of the campaign, the Cobblers have put themselves comfortably above the rest of the chasing pack, with five points separating them and fourth-placed Barrow.
Last week, however, saw the Midlands club stumble to a 0-0 draw against Tranmere, despite having a strong footing in the game, holding 62% possession and controlling much of the tempo of the proceedings.
Disappointingly for fans of the Cobblers, though, was that their possession beared little consequence to Tranmere's threat on the counter-attack, with their opposition equalling them in shots on target, and with the match ultimately ending goalless; Northampton will now look to bounce back from failure to beat a side winless in their last five matches.
The Cobblers will be looking for stronger performances from strikers Sam Hoskins and Kieron Bowie - both of whom have contributed in front of goal this season, and both of whom have proven effective lynchpins for their side.
© Reuters
Meanwhile, Harrogate may think that the tide has begun to turn in their favour in recent weeks, as a dominant performance against Rochdale last time out saw them smash the Lancastrians 4-1 away from home.
A brace from Middlesbrough graduate Luke Armstrong, and two goals from George Thomson and Sam Folarin respectively saw the Sulphurites' show their clinical edge in front of goal.
Thomson's low drive struck from 20 yards out to level the scoring in the first half served as a highlight for the away supporters, but Armstrong's second-half performance was a thing of beauty, getting an assist to his name alongside his brace.
Armstrong has been on fire in the last month, adding yet another brace to his name in Harrogate's 3-0 triumph against Mansfield Town in November. The striker has become a menace in the box to add to his versatility and pace down the flanks.
The Northampton game will be Harrogate's first home match since beating Mansfield, and they will need to bring the confidence shown that day against their promotion-contending opponents.
Team News
© Reuters
Harrogate's manager Simon Weaver is hoping for the return of striker Jack Muldoon at the weekend, having said the 33-year-old veteran is "edging towards having a chance" at the weekend.
In further news, midfielder Alex Pattison will be hoping to feature down the right flank at the weekend, having been out with a knee injury since the end of November. The situation, as Weaver has stated, is "a good selection dilemma to have", with a stronger arsenal at his disposal.
Meanwhile, Jon Brady boasts a clean bill of health for his side coming into the weekend, hoping to draw upon the skillset of his first-choice team.
Having signed his first professional contract this week to much acclaim, 17-year-old Josh Tomlinson may see the next step to his pathway to the first team complete with a start on the bench this weekend. The defender has received many plaudits from inside the club, having been nurtured in the academy and reserves since the age of nine.
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Jameson; Ramsay, Ferguson, Burrell, Headley; Falkingham, Thomson; Armstrong, Coley, Folarin; Muldoon
Northampton Town possible starting lineup:
Burge; McGowan, Sherring, Guthrie, Odimayo; Fox, Sowerby, McWilliams; Pinnock, Bowie, Hoskins
We say: Harrogate Town 2-2 Northampton Town
Nobody will argue against the fact that Northampton come into the game stronger on paper; their league form more than supports such an idea, and the consistency and confidence of Brady's coaching has given much hope to the Cobblers' dreams of promotion.
However, coming up against an inspired Harrogate team bountiful with goals in recent weeks may prove a challenge too difficult to overcome away from home.
An even, competitive match full of risk-taking and high-pace counter-attacks will see a score draw at Wetherby Road this weekend, and expect goals from the in-form Luke Armstrong and Sam Hoskins.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
