Two sides battling in the bottom half of the League Two table will square off on Tuesday, as Harrogate Town entertain Leyton Orient.

The teams come into the contest in differing runs of form, with the visitors unbeaten in five games and their hosts without a win in six.

Match preview

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After a relatively impressive start to their second-ever season in England's fourth tier, Harrogate Town have not fared well since the turn of the year, picking up just three wins from 15 matches.

Following an away victory over Bradford City, which saw them move onto 41 points from 31 outings, Simon Weaver's side have since had to endure a six-game winless run, firstly playing out draws with Barrow and Port Vale.

The Yorkshire outfit then suffered consecutive defeats at the hands of Hartlepool United, Bristol Rovers and Tranmere Rovers before meeting Walsall last time out, and Weaver's men looked set to fall to a fourth straight loss as they trailed 1-0 in injury time.

That was until Calum Kavanagh popped up with a 94th-minute goal to snatch a point for his side, seeing them move just two points behind 15th-placed Bradford City while keeping a game in hand.

With nothing to battle for at either end of the table, Weaver's men can now focus on trying to correct their form in the final 10 games of the season with the aim of a strong mid-table finish.

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They welcome a Leyton Orient side keen to take their place after an upturn in form, with the visitors having climbed away from the drop zone in recent weeks.

After an 11-game winless run in League Two, culminating in five straight defeats, the O's sat in real danger of relegation, but a change in management in March has triggered a turnaround.

While they were not able to arrest the winless spell initially, the London outfit did stop the rot with consecutive draws against Colchester United and Stevenage, and, after the appointment of Richie Wellens, they were able to earn points from stalemates with Hartlepool United and Forest Green Rovers.

Tuesday's visitors then made it five points from Wellens's first three games at the helm at the weekend, as they posted an elusive victory over Rochdale with Paul Smyth, Ruel Sotiriou and Harry Smith on the scoresheet on after Alex Newby had given their opponents an early lead.

Thanks to their relative improvement in recent weeks, the O's now have an important nine-point cushion between themselves and the drop zone, a particularly significant lead given there are just 10 games left to play, and they may now turn their attention upwards with the chance to move a point behind their opponents with another victory.

Team News

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Young Harrogate Town forward Calum Kavanagh will hope to earn a starting spot after coming off the bench to net the last-minute equaliser last time out.

He may battle with Mark Beck to join Jack Muldoon, who has hit 10 league goals this term after scoring 15 times in their debut League Two campaign last time around.

In a strong attacking unit, Luke Armstrong will also be vying to return to the starting XI after he served a suspension last time out, while the defensive line is less likely to change with Warren Burrell, Rory McArdle and Nathan Sheron forming an established back three.

Richie Wellens is only expected to make minimal alterations after overseeing his first win as Leyton Orient boss last time out, with a back four of Adam Thompson, Omar Beckles, Shadrach Ogie and Connor Wood likely going unchanged.

Paul Smyth will continue to operate in the front three while Harry Smith will hope to come in and lead the line after his goal off the bench at the weekend.

Harrogate Town possible starting lineup:
Oxley; Burrell, McCardle, Sheron; Fallowfield, Thomson, Pattison, Richards; Diamond; Muldoon, Beck

Leyton Orient possible starting lineup:
Vigouroux; Thompson, Beckles, Ogie, Wood; Sotiriou, Kyprianou, Coleman; Archibald, Smith, Smyth

We say: Harrogate Town 1-2 Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient have looked rejuvenated under Richie Wellens, and we back them to record a second straight win on Tuesday.

They meet a Harrogate side in a far tougher patch of form, and the visitors should have enough to return to London with all three points.

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