Harrogate Town v Bradford City: Yorkshire derby perfect time for Gate to end slump

A professional gambler might lump on the latter, Bradford City, triumphing in this League Two Yorkshire derby with luckless Harrogate Town, but football has been known to throw up a random result every now and again.

How Harrogate Town need it. Since thumping on the opening day of the season, Harrogate have won just once in the league in the subsequent nine games.

Bradford, meanwhile, are seventh.

But a local derby can do strange things.

"It's big for us at Harrogate anyway because historically Bradford have played against huge teams higher up the ladder than League Two," said Simon Weaver, the Harrogate manager.

"For us, we've just come into the Football league for the last few years and for us to play against Bradford is a big game.

"Bradford will bring lots of fans and there’s lots of Harrogate interest so we expect a buoyant crowd. Bradford are doing well so they'll be expectant.

"It should be an eventful game, a good game.

"They're in a rich vein of form, we've been searching a bit for our form though we've had a good week in training. We've had a few weeks where we’ve nearly got there but not quite but we feel the side's evolving and getting ready for a positive run of results.”

Weaver hopes a midweek bonding session will have helped.

“The lads have been into the town and had a bite to eat together then all the lads have taken part in coaching sessions within our player development centre and seen the faces of the youngsters and what it means to see the first-teamers," he said.

“It's two-fold really, the players can enjoy that and feel that self-worth and the youngsters can get a bond with the first-team players."

In the claret and amber corner, midfielder Harry Chapman is wary of the banana skin.

"It makes everyone that bit more hungry because they have to prove a point to the fans and the manager,” he said of Harrogate’s slide towards the bottom two.

"But the Bradford City that's gone there in the past is not the Bradford City of now.

"The character and desire against Wimbledon was top-notch and we'll take that into the weekend.”