Wanderers return to Sky Bet League Two action on Saturday afternoon with a trip to Harrogate Town’s temporary home, the Keepmoat Stadium to take on Simon Weaver’s Football League newcomers.
Still winless in the opening three league fixtures, Ian Evatt’s men travel to Doncaster to take on a Harrogate Town side buoyant with confidence after their promotion and unbeaten in three Sky Bet League Two fixtures.
Pre-Match Quotes:
Ian Evatt: ‘I know a lot about Harrogate, probably more than most. Simon (Weaver) has done a fantastic job there and they are hard to play against in terms of their intensity – they are grafters and they really work hard for one another.
‘They put you under pressure and they’ll put the ball into areas that force you to defend. They’re very good from set pieces as most League Two teams are, and we have to be at the races it’s as simple as that. We have to make sure we’re better with and without the ball than we were last Saturday.’
Simon Weaver: ‘The Bolton game is a huge one for us. They’re a massive club, with history, a big fan-base and a fantastic stadium, but they haven’t had the best of starts and they’ll be desperate to put that right this weekend.
‘We can’t allow them to do that. We have to be on the front foot, making life difficult for them and all-energy with and without the ball. We’ve made a positive start to the season and we have to be relentless in trying to build on that.’
How to watch:
Wanderers supporters can watch the clash with Harrogate Town by purchasing an iFollow BWFC video match pass for just £10, meaning despite not being able to make the trip to Yorkshire, you don’t have to miss a kick.
An iFollow BWFC video match pass will ensure supporters do not miss a minute of the action, with the entire match streamed through any compatible laptop, computer, tablet or mobile device in the United Kingdom.
Team News:
Ian Evatt confirmed new signing Lloyd Isgrove will miss the weekend’s clash with Harrogate through injury. Arthur Gnahoua remains fit and available and could come into contention for a start at the Keepmoat Stadium this weekend.
Antoni Sarcevic and Shaun Miller returned to training this week and could be available for a place in the matchday squad this Saturday.
In the Town camp, Jack Muldoon missed out on last weekend’s trip to Port Vale with a minor muscle injury and he could come back into contention on Saturday.
Goalkeeper James Belshaw continues to progress in his recovery from a hand injury but he’ll most likely be unavailable at the weekend.
Bookies Odds:
Harrogate win: 11/8
Draw: 11/5
Bolton win: 19/10
Correct as of 01/10/2020 (2.15pm) on skybet.com
Form:
Wanderers head into Saturday’s fixture in search of their first victory of the season after opening the campaign with a hugely disappointing five consecutive defeats in all competitions; the latest being last weekend’s home loss to Newport County.
Town are unbeaten in their first three league fixtures. Opening their maiden Sky Bet League Two campaign with a 4-0 victory at Southend United, they drew 2-2 with Walsall at their temporary home before a goalless draw at Port Vale last weekend.
They defeated Tranmere Rovers in the 1st Round of the Carabao Cup at Prenton Park before an eventual exit at the hands of Premier League West Bromwich Albion in the 2nd Round.
Last time out:
This weekend will see a first meeting between the two clubs, with the current campaign Harrogate Town’s very first in the Football League.
Only in the National League North a couple of years ago, it has been a remarkable rise for the North Yorkshire club. The year Town were promoted to the fifth tier of English football was also the year that Wanderers stayed up in the Championship on the final day with victory against Nottingham Forest.
Polar opposites in terms of the history of the two clubs, but a founder member of the Football League and a newcomer to the Football League go head to head this weekend.
Match Officials:
Referee: Benjamin Speedie.
Assistant Referees: Andrew Dallison and Wayne Grunnill.
Fourth Official: Daniel Woodward.