Harrogate Town v Bradford City: Derby-day bragging rights can be catalyst for Sulphurites to end home run

Harrogate Town suffered a 2-1 defeat last time they hosted derby rivals Bradford City at Wetherby Road, but that loss was their first against the Bantams in the Football League. Picture: Matt Kirkham

The Sulphurites have been poor at Wetherby Road all season, winning just six of 18 League Two matches there, but particularly bad of late, losing each of their previous three.

And it is those struggles on home soil which have derailed their play-off push, with Town’s points tally of 31 on the road the second best in the entire division.

So, while victory really is a must if Harrogate are to have any hope of remaining in touch with the top seven, Weaver believes that a clash with the Bantams is the ideal fixture to have next up.

“Our home form, there’s a Yorkshire derby around the corner, and a great occasion to try and put it right,” the Sulphurites boss said.

“Over the course of the season, our away form has been automatic-promotion form. At home, if we had done half as well as we had done away, we would be right up there.

“But a Yorkshire derby, the form-book goes out the window, it’s all about getting a result on the day.”

Town’s recent run of eight games without a victory has seen them slip from seventh place to 13th, though Bradford sit two places worse off in 15th and have won only one of their previous five matches in all competitions.

Having been turned over by relegation-threatened Forest Green Rovers in their previous home outing, City were thrashed 5-1 at Valley Parade by Mansfield last time out.

Harrogate themselves know a thing or two about being on the receiving end of a drubbing by the title-chasing Stags, having lost 4-1 at home to them, and then 9-2 away, earlier this term.

But they managed to bounce back from their record Football League defeat by going to high-flying Crewe Alexandra and keeping a clean-sheet a few days later, so Weaver has warned his charges not to take the Bantams lightly based on last weekend’s result.

“We know that we reacted well after we were wounded by Mansfield, we went and got a valuable point at Crewe,” he added.

“We know that if we go easy on them, if we think ‘oh they got stuffed on Saturday’, it would be the wrong attitude to take.

“They’ve got some good footballers in their ranks, a good manager and they will bring fantastic away support. So, in our own back yard, we have got a lot of pride to play for.

“And, we’re a wounded animal as well, thinking about our home record, we have got something to put right.”

Kick-off at Wetherby Road on Saturday afternoon is at 1pm.