Harrogate Town play host to Grimsby Town in a rescheduled gameweek 29 fixture in League Two at the EnviroVent Stadium on Tuesday.
The January fixture was postponed due to a frozen pitch in North Yorkshire, and such an eventuality is not expected this time as the latter side hope to secure another positive result to edge away from danger.
Match preview
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Simon Weaver's team suffered a disappointing 3-0 defeat at Notts County on Saturday to end the club's five-match unbeaten run that began in March.
While that sequence included three draws, the Harrogate town boss must have been pleased by his team's recent form in front of goal before the loss, with the Sulphurites scoring three in the win over Bradford City, one in the draw at Wimbledon and five in the thrashing of Gillingham to follow back-to-back goalless games at Wrexham and Barrow on March 12 and 16.
However, Weaver will be keen to see a response to the recent defeat as the home side aim for their third straight home win in the competition to follow successes over Bradford and Gillingham.
The home side's scoring run in front of their supporters bodes well for their prospects in the rescheduled encounter, and the home crowd should expect a free-flowing encounter in North Yorkshire.
However, their ceiling has been two consecutive home victories this term, with the Sulphurites not claiming three on the trot since 2021 — a four-game sequence of home victories from February to March — pointing to the difficulty they have faced in that regard.
As for the visitors, returning to winning ways last time out was timely for a Grimsby side that had gone four matches without success until a 1-0 triumph against Newport County.
It was David Artell's fifth League Two victory since taking over in November 2023 and a third since the turn of the year, strikingly 1-0 triumphs against Forest Green Rovers and MK Dons.
Every domestic success in 2024 has come at Blundell Park, pointing to the Mariners' struggles on the road, with their only away win coming in December's 3-0 triumph over Salford City.
Thus, the club with the division's worst away record face a daunting task at Harrogate, keen to secure a positive result that keeps them safe as the season draws to a close.
Given that Grimsby have a five-point lead over second-bottom Colchester United, who have three games to spare (Artell's men have two outstanding fixtures), and third-bottom Sutton — four points adrift of the Mariners — have won four of their last five league games, the fourth-bottom club cannot rest on their laurels in the battle for survival, which is expected to go down the wire.
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Toby Sims has not played for Harrogate since January because of a suspected back injury, and the wide player is not expected back for Tuesday.
Matty Daly netted a brace for Weaver's men in their 5-1 comeback win over Harrogate, and the forward should start the clash against the relegation-threatened side.
Denver Hume should replace Charles Vernam at wing-back after serving his suspension in Grimsby's 1-0 win over Newport last time out — the left wing-back was sent off for a professional foul in gameweek 42's tie with Bradford City.
Jake Eastwood could continue in goal on Tuesday after Harvey Cartwright was injured in that Bradford draw and was not in Saturday's squad.
Callum Ainley has recently returned to the Grimsby bench after undergoing surgery for thyroid cancer in January, but it remains to be seen if the 26-year-old gets game time on Tuesday.
Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Belshaw; O'Connor, McDonald, Foulds; Burrell, Sutton, Cornelius, Daly, Odoh; Thomson, March
Grimsby Town possible starting lineup:
Eastwood; Smith, Mullarkey, Tharme, Rodgers, Hume; Holohan, Thompson, Andrews; Obikwu, Rose
We say: Harrogate Town 2-1 Grimsby Town
Despite Harrogate's inability to win three home games on the trot in two years, that could change against the club with the division's worst road record. Having also defeated the Mariners in four of the last five meetings, including the 2-1 triumph in the reverse fixture on December 23, the home support should expect another positive outcome against the strugglers.
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