Crewe Alexandra v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites enjoying pressure of trying to sustain play-off push

The Sulphurites have taken just one point from their previous three meetings with the Railwaymen and know they will have their work cut out once again on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

While Town’s own form of late has transformed them into genuine play-off contenders, the Alex are pushing hard for automatic promotion from League Two.

But, although Simon Weaver admits that the game will represent a “massive test” as his team attempts to bounce back from Tuesday's mauling by Mansfield and keep themselves in and around the top seven, he insists that the pressure to maintain their excellent recent run is far preferable to the situation Harrogate found themselves in this time last season, when they were scrapping for survival.

“The pressure now is only what we put on ourselves, that desire to keep it going,” the Sulphurites boss said.

"It’s a nice pressure, as opposed to last year when we had to grit our teeth and knew that we were on a rollercoaster ride. It was a difficult ride last year, and it wasn’t just dependent on our results.

"For now, it is an altogether different prospect and we are enjoying the moment. We are not getting ahead of ourselves, but the pressure is far easier to handle in this position.

"We have just got to keep composed and remain calm off the pitch as much as on it so that we just stay focused.”

Town’s only previous Football League trip to Crewe’s Gresty Road base came during the early weeks of last season and ended in a comprehensive 3-0 defeat.

Weaver’s men looked set to avenge that result when the Alex visited North Yorkshire later in 2022/23, with goals from Jack Muldoon and on-loan Southampton attacker Kazeem Olaigbe firing the Sulphurites into a 2-0 lead.

But, having appeared comfortable, they conspired to concede two late goals and ultimately had to settle for just a point.

And there was more disappointment for Harrogate when the sides went head-to-head at the EnviroVent Stadium earlier this term as Crewe left with all three points.

In a game that saw goalkeeper Mark Oxley suffer a serious calf injury from which he is still yet to recover, the Sulphurites went down 1-0 to Zac Williams’ 31st-minute effort.

Crewe’s last outing at home saw them record another 1-0 victory, this time against Crawley Town, with Rio Adebisi the man on target.

Prior to that on their own turf, the Railwaymen had lost 3-2 to Salford City following on from back-to-back success over Swindon Town and Bradford City.

The Alex’s home record this season is up there with the very best in the division, with only Wrexham and Stockport boasting a better haul than Lee Bell’s troops’ return of 33 points from 16 matches (10 wins, three draws).

In terms of their biggest threats, strikers Elliot Nevett (12) and Courtney Baker-Richardson (10) have both reached double-figures for the season already, with fellow forward Chris along not far behind on nine.

And centre-half Mickey Demetriou has also been amongst the goals, weighing in with an impressive tally of seven from defence.

Demetriou’s eighth of the campaign came as Crewe stunned leaders Stockport County in their own back yard in midweek, that 3-1 success moving third-placed Crewe to within four points of top spot.

That same night, Town dropped one place to eighth in the table following their first loss in seven games, a 9-2 thrashing by Mansfield that Weaver wants his team to immediately put behind them.

"It’s about standing up and getting back in the ring on Saturday, and that is the message to the players,” he said. “We have got a responsibility as grown adults to get back out there.

"We have been so proud of the progression of the players and the club this season, that if we focus solely on one harsh night then I think it can be mentally grueling and that can then make things worse.

"I owe it to the players to remind them of how good they have been and what potential we still have within this squad to keep getting better.

"Overthinking would be the wrong thing to do. We haven’t over-thought anything for quite some time. We have had a good stylistic way of playing and we are proud of that.

"We have to play the odds a little bit more out of possession, or until we have controlled possession and then we have to let go and enjoy it, enjoy what we are trying to be as a team.”