Newport v Harrogate

Play-Off chasing duo Newport and Harrogate lock horns in the early kick-off in League Two on Saturday. 

The hosts go into the game in poor form having lost their last three games in the league. James Rowberry’s side are clinging on to their place in the top seven by goal difference with in-form Mansfield Town now breathing down their necks after beating Swindon on Tuesday night. 

They are under pressure to get a result this weekend to keep their promotion push on track. They have boosted their squad recently by signing James Waite on a permanent basis from Cardiff City and Josh Park on loan from Coventry City. The Exiles’ striker Dom Telford is the top scorer in the league and will be desperate to add to his tally of 16 with Forest Green Rovers’ Jamille Matt only a goal behind him now. 

Harrogate have proven they are no pushovers in the fourth tier since their promotion in 2020 and are only five points behind Newport in the table. Simon Weaver’s men have gone to tough places like Leyton Orient, Mansfield and Swindon this season and picked up impressive results. The Yorkshire outfit have scored 35 goals during the first-half of this campaign which is more than the rest of the bottom half of the division. 

Their main players to watch out for are attacker Jack Muldoon and midfielder Alex Pattison. The pair are locked on six goals each this term and are likely to be the ones to cause Newport the most problems. 

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Bradford v Salford

Bradford City welcome Salford City to Valley Parade this weekend in need of a positive result. 

Derek Adams’ side lost to relegation threatened Carlisle United 2-0 away last time out and will be desperate to bounce back from that disappointing result. The Yorkshire side have signed Jamie Walker from Hearts this week and he will be eager to make an impression on his debut. 

Salford, on the other hand, are going well under former Bradford boss Gary Bowyer who is returning to face his former club. 

The Ammies are 11th in the table and are four points off the Play-Offs. They are always feeling the pressure of their ambitious owners to get themselves into the promotion picture and will want to make a statement of intent away at Bradford. They have been in decent form over recent weeks and are unbeaten in their last three league games against Stevenage, Newport County and Tranmere Rovers. 

Their back-up goalkeeper Zach Jeacock has returned to his parent club Birmingham City which leaves the North West club a bit light in their goalkeeping department. Salford have lost once out of their last four away matches and will look to extend their steady run of results on the road. 

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Bristol Rovers v Hartlepool

Bristol Rovers welcome Hartlepool United to the Memorial Ground in a mid-table clash in League Two. 

The Pirates are currently sat in 18th place in the league with their opponents two places and two points ahead of them in the table. Joey Barton’s side are unbeaten in their last three games on home soil and are starting to look a lot stronger in front of their own fans as they look to climb up the division after a disappointing start. 

They fired four past Rochdale in their last home match and scored against Championship side Peterborough United last Saturday in the FA Cup in their narrow 2-1 defeat. 

Hartlepool have been going well under their new boss Graeme Lee after they chose him as the man to replace Dave Challinor. The Pools go into this weekend’s clash in good spirits after knocking Blackpool out of the cup last time out. They have lost just once in their last eight games in all competitions and will be a tough test for Bristol Rovers. 

Lee has delved into the transfer market so far this month to sign Southport striker Marcus Carver and Rotherham United defender Jake Hull, who are both in line to make their debuts. 

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Carlisle v Crawley 

Carlisle United are in good spirits right now as they take on Crawley Town this weekend.

Keith Millen’s side have won their last three league games against Stevenage, Scunthorpe United and Bradford City. The Cumbrians have had a tough first-half of the season and seemed in deep trouble. However, they appear to have turned a corner and have also kept four clean sheets in a row in the league. 

Their squad has been boosted so far this month with the additions of defender Joel Senior from Altrincham and attacker Omari Patrick from Burton Albion, whilst experienced first choice goalkeeper Mark Howard has penned a new deal until the end of the season in a major boost to their survival hopes. 

They are now six points above the relegation zone and will be eager to make it four wins on the spin against Crawley. 

The Red Devils, on the other hand, have leaked 31 goals in their 22 league games this season and face the long trip up north to face one of the in-form teams. They have sold defender Tom Dallison to fellow League Two side Colchester United, whilst goalkeeper Blondy Nna Noukeu has been recalled by Stoke City. 

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Colchester v Barrow 

Colchester United and Barrow take each other on this weekend in a significant game at the bottom of League Two. 

Neither side have scored many goals this season with the hosts currently the lowest scoring side in the whole division. Hayden Mullins’ men haven’t won in their last five games in the league and have subsequently slipped down the table, scoring just twice in those matches altogether. The Essex club are seriously lacking that cutting edge in their squad and are only three points above the relegation zone right now. 

Barrow, on the other hand, have had goal scoring woes of their own as well which has forced Mark Cooper to delve into the transfer window to sign attacking duo Will Harris and Jacob Wakeling from Sunderland and Leicester City respectively. 

Their new signings are a risk though as they have never played in the fourth tier before and are unproven at this level. The Bluebirds have managed 23 goals in their opening 23 games in this campaign, with only Colchester, Carlisle United, Stevenage, Oldham Athletic and Scunthorpe United managing less. 

They have won just once in their last 13 games in the league and need to start picking up more victories to boost their survival chances. 

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Exeter v Scunthorpe

Exeter City are in need of a win this weekend as they look to beat relegation threatened Scunthorpe United. 

Matt Taylor’s side haven’t been in the best of form over recent times and have slipped out of the Play-Offs. However, a much desired victory against the Iron would see them close the gap on the top seven ahead of a big run of fixtures for the Grecians. They have brought in striker Offrande Zanzala from Barrow in a boost to their attacking options and he could make his debut on Saturday. 

Scunthorpe are in a dismal rut at the moment and have won just once since Keith Hill took over from Neil Cox on 5th November. The Humberside club have scored just 19 goals in 23 games this term and are 23rd in the table, with only Oldham Athletic separate them from the bottom of the division. 

They have been dealt a recent blow with striker Ryan Loft leaving for fellow League Two side Bristol Rovers. Blackburn Rovers youngster Sam Burns has been brought in to replace him but has never played at this level before. 

Scunthorpe were battered 4-0 last time out away at Tranmere Rovers and make the long trip down to Exeter short of confidence. 

Mansfield v Walsall

Mansfield Town will be looking to extend their impressive run of form this weekend against Walsall. 

The Stags are flying in League Two right now under Nigel Clough and have catapulted themselves up the table over recent times. They have won their last five games in the league and have lost just once in their last nine matches. Mansfield have also won their last six at Field Mill on the spin and are likely to be too strong again on Saturday. 

Clough’s men are only outside the Play-Offs on goal difference and will fancy their chances of breaking into the top seven with another victory. Striker Jordan Bowery is one to watch after scoring two in two now. 

Walsall, on the other hand, are down in 15th place in the table and comfortably mid-table. 

The Saddlers have been leaking goals recently and have conceded six in their last two matches in the league against Newport County and lowly Stevenage last time out. 

Matt Taylor’s side have won just once in their last six games in all competitions and have been beaten on the road in their last two away trips at Carlisle United and then Stevenage. 

Northampton v Forest Green 

3rd place Northampton Town take on top of the table Forest Green Rovers this weekend. 

The Cobblers have started 2022 in stuttering form and have lost their last two games. Jon Brady’s side were battered 5-2 by Swindon Town on New Year’s Day and then lost 1-0 at home to mid-table Crawley Town last time out. 

They are not in the best of form going into Saturday’s clash against high flying Rovers and have been dealt a blow this month with key player Kion Etete being recalled from his loan by parent club Tottenham Hotspur. 

Forest Green are steamrolling the league this season and are nine points clear at the summit ahead of Tranmere Rovers. 

Rob Edwards’ men have lost just twice in their opening 23 games this term, winning 15. They also have a watertight defence and have conceded only 20 goals, with only Tranmere holding a better defensive record. Forest Green go into their game at Northampton in good spirits and are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches, with their last loss coming on 9th October against Swindon Town. 

They have also not conceded a goal in their last three so most signs point towards them continuing their run of form. 

Port Vale v Swindon

Port Vale have their first league game of 2022 against Swindon Town at Vale Park this weekend. 

Darrell Clarke’s men have been inconsistent over recent times and will be eager to start stringing together a set of wins. The Valiants have had a strong first-half of the season overall and are in the Play-Offs. They have scored 35 goals this term which is more than 2nd place Tranmere Rovers and 3rd place Northampton Town. 

Swindon have also shown that they can score goals in this campaign and have managed seven in their opening two league games of this year. 

The Robins beat Northampton 5-2 on New Year’s Day before getting two on Tuesday night in their 3-2 loss to Mansfield Town. Key player Harry McKirdy also bagged a consolation against Premier League table toppers Manchester City in the FA Cup last week. 

Ben Garner’s side are still conceding goals of late too though which means Port Vale will fancy their chances of breaching their defence at some point. 

Swindon have been dealt a blow this month with key defender Kaine Kesler-Hayden getting recalled by parent club Aston Villa over his impressive loan spell at the County Ground. 

Stevenage v Sutton

Stevenage take on Sutton United this weekend as they look to pull further away from danger. 

Paul Tisdale is looking to help keen Boro in the Football League and they earned a big win against Walsall last time out. 

However, they have still only scored 19 goals during the first-half of this season with only Carlisle United and Colchester United managing less. Stevenage are lacking that cutting edge up front but have been keeping it tight at the back over their last few matches. They have signed goalkeeper Christy Pym from Championship side Peterborough United this month in a surprise move and he impressed on his debut against the Saddlers. 

Barring their 2-0 defeat to top of the table Forest Green Rovers on New Year’s Day, they only conceded two goals in their three games and kept a clean sheet away at Swindon Town. 

Sutton could find it tough to break them down on Saturday, especially as Boro will be in confident mood after winning their last match. Matt Gray’s men haven’t had the best of times on the road over recent times and haven’t won in their last three away matches against Leyton Orient, Newport County and Bradford City. 

Tranmere v Rochdale

Tranmere Rovers have an opportunity to extend their impressive run of form at home to Rochdale this weekend. 

Micky Mellon’s side are unbeaten in their last eight games in the league and haven’t been beaten since 13rd November. The Merseyside outfit have been victories in their last four games at Prenton Park and didn’t concede a goal in those matches. They have the best defensive record in League Two this term and have conceded only 15 goals in their opening 24 matches. 

Tranmere are 2nd in the table behind Forest Green Rovers and will be keen to reduce the difference of nine points currently between them. 

Mellon has delved into the transfer market this month to boost his attacking options by loaning in Rangers youngster Josh McPake. Rochdale face a tough ask as they make the trip to face a fellow North-West club on Saturday. Robbie Stockdale has lost key players Jake Beesley and Aaron Morley to Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers respectively this week and have been severely weakened. 

The Dale have won once in their last seven league matches and haven’t played since 18th December so may be slightly rusty compared to their opponents. 

They are currently 17th in the league table and are eight above the drop zone. 

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