Struggling Rochdale are in for a tough test at home to automatic promotion chasing Northampton Town this weekend.

The Dale go into the clash rock-bottom of the Football League after a dismal season and are five points from safety. They lost again last time out 2-1 away at Salford City, with striker Scott Quigley pulling a goal back for them late on, and boss Jim Bentley was left frustrated again with another loss and said afterwards that they can’t ‘feel sorry’ for themselves. It appears his side are facing an uphill battle though in their quest to avoid relegation to the National League and they remain without suspended defender Ethan Ebanks-Landell which is a blow as he serves his final game following his straight red card against Hartlepool United earlier this month, with inexperienced Max Taylor taking his place at the back .

Rochdale are in poor form and have won just once in their last 12 outings so their confidence will be low. In addition, they have scored the second lowest amount of goals in the league this term (23) behind Gillingham and have leaked the second most (44) behind Hartlepool.

Northampton could rise into the top three if they win at Spotland on Saturday which is a great incentive for them. Since losing 2-0 away at Stockport County on 14th January, they have gone two games unbeaten without conceding a goal which is the response they needed. They beat Barrow 2-0 away courtesy of goals by midfielders Ben Fox and Shaun McWilliams and then drew 0-0 at home to Walsall last time out. Their manager Jon Brady says his team are ‘fighting’ to go up to League One and he will be desperate to see his side not slip up against a relegation threatened outfit.

On the selection front, Fulham loan striker Kieron Bowie is out for the next couple of months through injury but the Cobblers have quality options in his position such as top scorer Sam Hoskins, Josh Eppiah and Louis Appere so won’t miss him too much. They will fancy their chances of picking up all three points this weekend as they have the best away record in the division. They also have no problems scoring goals and have found the net 42 times in 28 matches this term, with only 3rd place Carlisle United managing more.

Lowly Harrogate Town will have their work cut this weekend at home to promotion hopefuls Stockport County.

The Sulphurites picked up an impressive 1-0 away win at Carlisle United last time out thanks to a late own goal by Paul Huntington but were slightly fortunate to get the three points. They didn’t have a shot on target all game and boss Simon Weaver admitted it was a ‘hard fixture’. Prior to their shock victory at Brunton Park, the Yorkshire club had gone five games without winning so will be pleased to have stopped the rot.

However, they have been dealt a blow on the injury front with right-back Kayne Ramsey out for the rest of the season with a facial injury so Warren Burrell or Levi Sutton are likely to slot in for him. Harrogate are down in 20th place after winning just seven out of their 27 so far this term and they are only still three points above the relegation zone so will be nervously looking over their shoulder towards the bottom two. They are having trouble at home at the moment and haven’t won in their last three outings at the EnviroVent Stadium so won’t fancy their chances against a team who have clawed themselves into the promotion picture.

Stockport are in the play-offs now after their 3-2 win over Tranmere Rovers at home last weekend courtesy of goals by midfielder Will Collar, striker Kyle Wootton and defender Kyle Knoyle. Speaking after that big win, their manager Dave Challinor said he was ‘proud’ of the result and won’t want his side to rest on their laurels now and will want them to push on after sneaking into the top seven.

The Hatters have been without centre-back Fraser Horsfall over recent times due to injury but January signing from Hartlepool United Neill Byrne has slotted into his new team with ease and has been putting in some solid performances. Stockport have players who can hurt Harrogate and have different sources of goals too which is always useful. Strikers Paddy Madden and Wootton have a combined 19 goals, Collar has eight from midfield, whilst Antoni Sarcevic has six.

The North West club are going in the right direction and have only lost twice in their last nine matches in the league so should have too much for their opponents on Saturday.

Stevenage are well on track to secure promotion and will be eyeing another three points against a stuttering Bradford City.

Boro are 2nd in the League Two table behind Leyton Orient by seven points but have three games in hand on the O’s. They drew 0-0 away at Sutton United last time out but beat the table toppers 3-0 in their game before that at home courtesy of goals by strikers Jamie Reid, Luke Norris and Jordan Roberts. Their boss Steve Evans has said his players have been showing great ‘effort and determination’ over recent weeks and will be eager to see that continue throughout February as they look to put themselves in a strong position for the final fews months of the season.

On the injury front, defender Terence Vancooten is out of action but the Hertfordshire side have experienced alternatives ready to take his place in Carl Piergianni and Michael Bostwick which is ideal ahead of some big games. Stevenage have a great ability to grind out wins and this weekend should be no different. They have won 16 out of their 27 outings so far this term and have lost only three which shows how tough they are to break down. In addition, Evans’ men are unbeaten in their last 12 league matches in a run of fixtures spanning back to 22nd October.

Bradford aren’t in the best of form and were left frustrated last week in their 1-1 draw at home to Mansfield Town. Striker Andy Cook gave them the lead and they looked on their way to a big win before Alfie Kilgour levelled for the Stags at the death and the Bantams’ manager Mark Hughes said afterwards that it was a ‘disappointing’ result.

Midfielder Ryan East made his return after four months on the sidelines and gives Hughes another option to pick from in the middle of the park along with the likes of Adam Clayton and Richie Smallwood. Bradford are always under pressure to succeed at this level which sometimes proves to be their downfall. They are winless in their last four outings now and have won just two in their last nine, with only one of their victories coming in 2023. The Yorkshire club have now slipped out of the play-offs and they won’t be holding out much hope of rising back into them this Saturday as they face arguably the toughest side in the division in this campaign.

Walsall’s form has started to stutter as they take on table toppers Leyton Orient at home.

The Saddlers drew 0-0 away at Northampton Town last time out and remain down in 14th place. They are finding it hard at the moment to string a set of wins together to help push on into the promotion picture. Speaking after their stalemate against the Cobblers, their boss Michael Flynn said he wanted a bit more ‘composure’ from his players in front of goal.

Walsall were dealt a huge blow in January when Mansfield Town recalled striker Danny Johnson from his loan spell with them after he fired 15 goals in 30 games in all competitions. They have replaced him with Jamille Matt from Forest Green Rovers but he is yet to score for his new club yet. Flynn doesn’t have any new injury concerns to deal with but has been taking a look at free agent Zain Westbrooke in training after his exit from Bristol Rovers this winter which suggests he isn’t 100% happy with his current midfield options. The Saddlers are winless in their last four outings in all competitions and haven’t scored in their last two so are having problems in front of goal right now after Johnson’s exit and aren’t in the best of spirits heading into a very tricky fixture.

Leyton Orient continue to close in on promotion to League One and are 13 points clear of 4th place Northampton and are seven ahead of 2nd position Stevenage. The London outfit have bounced back from their 3-0 loss to the latter a couple of weeks ago with a 1-0 win over AFC Wimbledon and a 2-0 away victory at Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday. Defender Ed Turns and winger Theo Archibald were on the scoresheet for them last time out and their manager Richie Wellens was obviously delighted with the result and said that it was a ‘professional’ and ‘efficient’ performance.

Attacker Paul Smyth missed out and is a doubt ahead of their trip to the Midlands but they have plenty of options to pick from in attacking areas instead such as Archibald, Aaron Drinan, Charlie Kelman and January addition Kieran Sadlier, who joined on loan from Bolton Wanderers until the summer. Orient have been a winning machine this term and have only lost five out of 30 games so should have enough quality to get at least a draw against Walsall, if not all three points again.

With so much competition around, Mansfield Town need to up their game if they are to secure a finish inside League Two’s top places.

Nigel Clough sides have accumulated five points from a possible 15 since the start of 2023, losing matches to fellow chasers Walsall and Barrow, and having a dominant win over out-of-shape Doncaster Rovers being their only game with maximum points collected. Clough, regularly known for a change of shape to address a drop of form, looks to have recently settled on a 3-5-2. It is the kind of formation ideal for attacking, creative wing-back Stephen McLaughlin, but the 32-year-old missed last weekend’s game with injury and is a big loss when not available. The Stags also in turn lost January signing Louis Reed and striker Rhys Oates in the first half of last Saturday’s draw at Bradford City, a game rescued by a second goal in two games for new centre-back Alfie Kilgour. The 24-year-old has certainly made a positive impact since arriving from Bristol Rovers.

Even with those absences though, Mansfield do carry goal threat in Lucas Akins, Davis Keillor-Dunn and Jordan Bowery. The situation with Danny Johnson is where most of the interest in Mansfield Town circulates. The 29-year-old scored 12 goals in 22 games on loan at Walsall in the first half of the season. A January move did not materialise, and he will remain with the Stags for the remainder of the season as a player Clough will try to utilise. There is a debate as to whether he actually wants to be part of Mansfield’s promotion push though. There are videos and photos aplenty around his ignorant reaction to his Mansfield teammates scoring key goals.

Two familiar names will form part of the Gillingham squad that will head to Mansfield Town this Saturday. Target man forward Oli Hawkins and attacking midfielder George Lapslie were both high-calibre during Gillingham’s impressive January window. Life under Florida-based tycoon Brad Gallinson saw significant winter investment in the Gills squad, creating a new team that looks far, far better than the one which has spent the first of the season rooted to the base of the Football League. Gillingham are unbeaten in the league in 2023, collecting 10 points from a possible 12 and averaging two goals scored a game.

Hawkins leads the line as a focal point alongside ex-Crawley forward Tom Nichols who has three goals in his last four matches. Exeter’s Tim Dieng provides physicality in the centre of the park. Queens Park Rangers loanee Conor Masterson adds to the centre-back options. Goalkeeper Glenn Morris was on loan from Crawley Town in the first half of the season, and made a free transfer move to Gillingham in January. Lapslie is a strong squad option in attacking positions, where loanees Tristan Abrahams and Aiden O’Brien add to forward depth that has massively improved in the space of just a few weeks.

Though Gillingham remain in the relegation zone for now, it is simply a matter of time before they exit the bottom two and get clear with a squad that wouldn’t look out of place against the division’s top sides. The renewed confidence in Neil Harris’ side will be carried into this weekend’s match at a Mansfield Town team who have been inconsistent with results, but have failed to score in just one game since the 19^th November. Expect both nets to ripple here at Field Mill.