Harrogate Town v Cheltenham: Sulphurites seek to round off 'feel-good' week as ex-Bradford City loanee joins

The Sulphurites earned plenty of kudos, not to mention a financial windfall, following their narrow 1-0 loss in front of almost 36,000 at Elland Road and they have been busy in the transfer window this week.

Fulham striker Olly Sanderson, who recently returned from a separate loan spell at Yorkshire rivals Bradford City, has joined for the rest of 2024-25.

It follows the signing of Bristol Rovers left-back and one-time Middlesbrough player Bryant Bilongo, who has also linked up with the club on a temporary basis for the remainder of the campaign.

A positive return against Cheltenham would round off a productive week for Simon Weaver’s side, with the long-serving manager having called on Harrogate residents to add numbers to his club’s survival quest after taking almost 4,000 fans to Leeds.

Weaver, whose squad options have also increased in terms of players returning from injury, most notably Ellis Taylor, said: "Hopefully, the feel-good factor out of the game can be recaptured at our stadium.

"Both on and off the pitch, everyone came off buoyant (at Leeds) and hopefully we will use what we gained in terms of confidence levels, experience and stretching ourselves mentally. Everyone has been in work glowing from the experience."

Sanderson returned to Yorkshire just seven days after leaving City. He is set for an early reunion at Valley Parade on February 8 when Harrogate visit.

The 21-year-old netted three times in 18 appearances for City after initially joining on a season-long loan in the summer window before it was cut short.

Weaver, still keen on bringing in another couple of other players before the deadline after signing four newcomers already, added: "We’re delighted he’s chosen us for his next loan spell, he’s young, aspirational and is just the type of character we want in the building.

"He has got bags of pace, an alert brain and an awareness when it comes to attacking the box at the right time. I think there’s a goalscorer in there and he’ll really benefit from playing for us."