Swindon Town v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites go in search of another first at the County Ground

A season that has seen the Sulphurites flirt with the play-offs and is shaping up to be their most successful yet in the Football League, has already featured maiden wins at places they have traditionally struggled, such as Sutton United and Colchester United, and even a victory, at long, long last over bogey team Salford City.

On Saturday, they will be aiming to stay in touch with the division’s top seven by recording a first-ever success over the Robins at the County Ground.

Their two previous visits have yielded a 1-1 draw and a 3-0 defeat, though on this occasion, Town will arrive in Swindon as genuine favourites given the clubs’ respective campaigns to date.

While 12th-placed Harrogate occupied a play-off spot as recently as last Saturday and boast the third-best away from in the fourth tier having accrued 28 points (eight wins, four draws) from 17 matches on the road, Mike Flynn’s team currently sit closer to the drop zone than the top half of the table.

And, although they do not look in genuine danger of being dragged into a relegation dog-fight, for a club of Swindon’s size and pedigree to be languishing in 17th place and essentially have nothing left to play for than pride as early as mid-February will not sit well with Robins supporters.

Their recent form is rather mixed, Tuesday’s 3-1 home success over Tranmere Rovers their first in six matches, though the Sulphurites have also come out on top in just one of their previous half-a-dozen outings.

Town started slowly but finished pretty strongly when the sides last met, Jack Muldoon’s precise finish from the edge of the box earning them a 1-1 draw at Wetherby Road earlier this term.

Last season, the Sulphurites won 3-0 at home on the opening day, but suffered a comprehensive 4-1 loss the year before, meaning that Swindon sit slightly better off in the overall head-to-head, with two victories to Harrogate’s one.