Notts County v Harrogate Town: Sulphurites desperate to maintain play-off challenge until the very last kick

Harrogate Town players celebrate the Matty Daly goal which saw them come from behind to take the lead as they thrashed fellow play-off hopefuls Gillingham 5-1 at Wetherby Road on Easter Monday. Picture: Matt Kirkham

The Sulphurites head to Notts County this Saturday 12th in the League Two standings and just four points shy of the top seven following Easter Monday’s 5-1 mauling of fellow promotion hopefuls Gillingham.

They suffered a massive drop off in form after seizing seventh place following a 1-0 home success over Colchester United in early February, failing to win any of the eight matches which followed.

But comprehensive home triumphs over Bradford City and the Gills, either side of a useful draw at AFC Wimbledon, have brought Town right back into contention and they travel to Meadow Lane knowing that a victory could leave them just a point off the division’s final play-off berth.

And Weaver believes that his charges have earned the right to still have something left to play for with five games of the regular season remaining - and the chance to enjoy such an opportunity.

“We just want to fight until the last ball is kicked and still be in it,” he said. “That’s the important thing because I think that the group have deserved an opportunity this season to have taken it to the end.

"We’re only one place higher up after Monday, but it’s one point, and at this stage of the season that is huge for us, to be really in the fight.

“We say ‘don't get too far ahead’, because you can easily seize up a bit, you know, in games of magnitude, but we're in a good position, and you've got to try and keep smiles on faces and just enjoying the moments and see where it takes us as we're still probably a massive outside bet.

Abraham Odoh was amongst the goal-scorers as Harrogate Town triumphed 3-1 the last time they took on Notts County.

“But, we can just continue to enjoy the games and extend these hopes and dreams, keep them alive. And so the longer we do that, the more it becomes interesting.”

Town could hardly wish for a more positive result than Monday’s 5-1 thumping of Gillingham to take into Saturday’s fixture with the Magpies, though Weaver has already warned that getting too carried away by that victory would be a mistake.