Leeds United homework gives injured Harrogate Town captain big role in FA Cup tie

A leg injury requiring surgery would have been devastating enough for Leeds-born Falkingham, pictured, but it came at the end of the week his club were drawn away to the Whites in the FA Cup third round.

In a shrewd piece of management, Simon Weaver put the 34-year-old in charge of the League Two club's homework for one of the biggest occasions in their history.

“It was an emotional time for him when he came off injured because that was without a doubt one of his major objectives, to feature in this game and to wear the shirt with pride,” Weaver said of the midfielder, ruled out until early March.

“Whenever I bump into anyone connected with Leeds they always ask about Falks because his character is well known in football, especially between our clubs.”

So Falkingham has been studying Leeds as Weaver attempts to come up with a gameplan respectful of the team top of the Championship without being defeatist about the Sulphurites' first competitive game against them. “If I went in there with giddy expectations of dominating the game at Elland Road, I think I'd get laughed out of town by the players,” says Weaver, who has faced Leeds in pre-season games. “I've got to prepare them and make them aware of their strengths and their patterns of play.

“Josh Falkingham's been heavily involved in that. It's certainly given him a purpose in the last couple of weeks to really delve into the patterns of play for Leeds and the personnel. And they're regular patterns – we know what they do, it's just stopping them.

“It's breaking it down and trying to take a steady mindset into the game of how to try and stop them and looking at our possibilities on the ball when we have it.”

Harrogate's preparations have been disrupted by this week's cold snap.

“On the Thursday morning before going to Elland Road we were yet to see a football,” said Weaver. “The pitches we use are rock hard, other facilities are blocked out with bookings but we're hoping the sun lifts the frost on the 3G (artificial pitch).”

Ex-Bradford City defender Matty Foulds will miss the game through injury, forcing Harrogate into the transfer market. They have already signed Newport County midfielder Bryn Morris, who will take Falkingham's on-field role at Elland Road, and are fortunate Saturday will be their third televised FA Cup tie this season, boosting Weaver’s kitty.

“Matthew Foulds has been ruled out for another month, which has come from nowhere,” revealed Weaver. “He felt some tightness in his groin. Other than that there's no new injuries, just still the seven out.”

Weaver will now look at left-backs in the transfer window, adding: “We're looking at different areas of the pitch, not least up front.

“Not an hour goes past making calls between the three of us (himself, assistant Paul Thirlwell and head of recruitment Lloyd Kelly) to look to be a better, stronger squad.”