Forest Green Rovers v Hartlepool United

League Two leaders Forest Green Rovers are on the cusp of promotion to League One for the first time in their history. 

The Gloucestershire side took one step closer to the third tier with their impressive 1-0 win over Mansfield Town on Tuesday night to go seven points clear at the summit ahead of Exeter City and 12 points inside the automatic promotion places. Two wins will do it and they go into their home clash against an out of sorts Hartlepool United side this weekend on the back of back-to-back wins at New Lawn. Speaking after their win over the Stags, their boss, Rob Edwards, says his side are like “like Arsenal in the 90s” as they carry on their impressive season. Rovers have been dealt a massive blow with top scorer Matty Stevens out for the rest of the campaign with an ACL injury. However, they shouldn’t worry too much as they have 18-goal Jamille Matt fit still and have forward Josh Marsh as a ready-made replacement. The latter has had to bide his time for opportunities this term and scored after just 14 minutes to bag the winner against Mansfield last time out to prove he can deliver when called upon. Forest Green are nearly there and have lost just five times all season as they prepare for their next challenge. 

Hartlepool United have absolutely nothing to play for and it is showing. They were comfortably beaten 2-0 at home to play-off hopefuls Salford City in their last match and have only won once in their last six outings. Even their manager Graeme Lee has admitted that they are on the beach already and said last weekend that their ”mindset is not quite there” at the moment with six games left to get through. The Pools have been missing key player Luke Molynuex, which will be good news for Forest Green ahead of this Saturday,  and there are doubts as to whether he will play again this season. He has been Hartlepool’s standout player since their promotion from the National League and has adapted with ease to the step up a division, scoring 12 goals in all competitions from the wing. His replacement in the team has been youngster Joe Grey, who at 18-years-old doesn’t have the same ability or experience just yet. Lee’s men sit 14th in the table and have leaked 10 goals in their last five games. 

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Salford City v Harrogate Town 

Salford City lost for the first time since January on Tuesday night at home to Port Vale. 

The Ammies hadn’t been beaten for 12 games but the Valiants edged past them 1-0 thanks to Harry Charsley’s second-half strike with boss Gary Bowyer saying he was “disappointed” with the result and his side will be eager to bounce back against a Harrogate Town side who have nothing to play for now. Their defeat to Vale was their first on home soil in five outings and Salford still have a chance of making the play-offs this season which makes this weekend a big game for them and a must win. They are currently two points away from the top seven with six games left to play of the campaign. In terms of injury news, Bowyer remains without midfielder Josh Morris, defender Ashley Eastham and attacker Conor McAleny but have had Ryan Watson, Theo Vassell and Ashley Hunter stepping in for them respectively over recent weeks to much success. The North West club have depth in their squad and have shown this with only one defeat since the January transfer window when they brought in the likes of striker Watson, Matt Smith and Luke Bolton. Midfielder Luke Burgess also returned to the bench in mid-week and is fit again which will give them another option to choose from which is a boost. 

Harrogate are not in the best of form and have won just once in their last nine matches which was against bottom of the table Scunthorpe United. They have also lost five in their last seven games and were beaten 2-1 at home to Colchester United last weekend. Their manager, Simon Weaver, says they “lack leadership” on the pitch and the Yorkshire side will be itching for this season to end. They are comfortably sat in 16th position and have six matches to get through before they can put their feet up for a while. The campaign has started to catch up with Harrogate’s small squad and they could only name six substitutes on the bench against the U’s last time out. Midfielder Josh Falkingham and defenders Lewis Page and Lewis Richards are out for the rest of the season. On a more positive note, the Sulphurites welcomed back key midfielder Alex Pattison into their ranks after his knee problem but he was powerless to stop another poor result and has promotion chasing Salford to contend with next. 

Scunthorpe United v Mansfield Town 

There has been some significant news off the pitch for Scunthorpe United this week with chairman Peter Swann announcing that he will be stepping down from his position. 

The Iron have endured a dismal season in League Two this term and are slipping into the National League for the first time in their history. They are rock bottom and are 13 points from safety with six games left. Scunthorpe will be put out of their misery soon and have an extremely tough game coming up this weekend against Mansfield Town. The North Lincolnshire outfit were beaten again last time out by Forest Green Rovers away 1-0 and despite the narrow scoreline, boss Keith Hill said after the game that his side need to show a “little more composure” in front of goal. Scunthorpe’s attackers lack confidence and that is reflected by the fact they are the lowest scorers in the division. They have also conceded the most amount of goals and will be without key defensive pair Mason O’Malley and Ross Millen once again on Saturday against the Stags. 19-year-old Dan Gallimore and the versatile James Rowe played in defence in the last game and are in for another difficult test against Nigel Clough’s side. Scunthorpe have won twice since Hill joined in November and have won four times all season which means this one is only going one way. 

Like the Iron, Mansfield lost 1-0 to Forest Green in their previous fixture and will be eager to bounce back from that. Clough said his side were “very, very good” and his team missed chances to get something. The Stags remain well in the hunt for promotion to League One and are currently three points off the top three so will be desperate to get a win at the Sands Venue Stadium. January recruit Jamie Murphy and eight-goal attacker Rhys Oates were left out on Tuesday night and remain doubts for this weekend. However, Lucas Akins and Jordan Bowery are perfectly capable replacements if they aren’t ready which shows the depth they have in their squad. Midfielder George Lapslie is suspended after seeing red against Forest Green and Birmingham City loan man Ryan Stirk or George Maris should come in for him, whilst experienced veteran James Perch, who can play in defence or midfield, should be back from illness to give Mansfield a timely boost. They have lost once in their last five games and should pick up all three points against Scunthorpe.

Tranmere Rovers v Bristol Rovers

Tranmere Rovers take on Bristol Rovers this weekend in a huge game at the top of the League Two table. 

The Whites will be keen to bounce back from their 2-2 draw at home to Carlisle United in their last game. They were leading 2-1 up until stoppage time when the Cumbrians levelled it up through striker Tobi Sho-Silva. Their boss, Micky Mellon, said his side “deserved so much more” from the game. They remain well in the hunt for promotion to League One and are currently 7th in the table, a point inside the play-offs with six games left to play and five points away from the top three. Tranmere have the joint-second best defensive record in the division behind table toppers Forest Green Rovers and have lost just three times at Prenton Park all season which will give them confidence they can get something against Bristol Rovers. In terms of team selection, the Merseyside outfit are without the suspended Kieron Morris and Callum Macdonald after they were send off against Carlisle and their appeal to have their bans overturned were rejected. Nathaniel Knight-Percival and Josh McPake are two replacements who could take their places respectively for the visit of Bristol Rovers. Liverpool loan man Paul Glatzel is out for the rest of the campaign but experienced striker Nicky Maynard is back from injury and will be looking to hit some form. Tranmere have scored in seven of their last eight games so are perfectly capable of finding the net. 

Bristol Rovers picked up a useful 2-1 win at home to Bradford City in their last match after goals from Sam Finley and Connor Taylor. They are 4th in the league table and are two points above Tranmere going into this weekend. Their manager, Joey Barton, said that they “deserved” the win and will be looking for more of the same as he returns to Merseyside. His team have lost just twice in their last 13 matches and are only three points off the top three with six matches left to play. News has broken this week that they are planning to offer key midfielder Paul Coutts a new contract and he has been a key player in the middle of the park this term. The Pirates have also been boosted by the return of winger Sam Nicholson from injury over the past couple of games and he has come back earlier than expected. The Scotsman has chipped in with six goals and five assists in this campaign and Tranmere will need to keep him quiet. There will be goals in this one as Bristol Rovers have found the net in five of their last six and are the top scoring side currently sat in the play-off positions this season. 

Sutton United v Leyton Orient 

Sutton United’s defeat in the Papa John’s Trophy final to Rotherham United last weekend will still sting as they prepare to face Leyton Orient. 

The U’s were seconds away from a famous cup win but the Millers equalised in stoppage time before going on to win in extra-time. Their chairman, Bruce Elliott, said they had “the win they deserved snatched away from them”. Sutton will take a lot of confidence from the fact they went all the way against a side who will probably be in the Championship next season. The London club have players who can hurt Leyton Orient such as seven-goal David Ajiboye and pacey Millwall loan man Isaac Olaofe, who has also chipped in with seven goals. They still have an outside chance of making the play-offs and their game against the O’s is a must win if they are to make a late push for the top seven. The U’s are currently three points off with seven matches left to play. In terms of team news, midfielder Harry Beautyman was seen limping against Rotherham and will need to be assessed, with adequate replacement Kenny Davis ready to step into his shoes if he is out of action. Sutton haven’t lost at Gander Green for 12 games, with their last defeat on home soil coming on 30th October against Walsall so are in the habit of getting results there and scoring goals. 

Leyton Orient and Richie Wellens appear to be a match made in heaven and he has been loving life since taking over the London club. The former Doncaster Rovers boss picked up another three points last weekend away at Walsall and said that their pressing of the opposition was “so good” and his team seem to be buying into his style of football. This has been reflected by the fact that they have lost just once in his opening six matches at the helm. The O’s have been scoring goals for fun recently and have found the net on 11 occasions in their past six outings under their new manager too. Their attacking players Otis Khan, Harry Smith, Ruel Sotoriou and Aaron Drinan have been given more freedom to play under Wellens and are causing problems for opponents. Leyton Orient have a clean bill of health on the injury front with Darren Pratley and George Ray returning to the squad over the past few games after their respective injury worries. They are a club in good spirits at the moment, can score goals and are still riding the wave of having a new manager with fresh ideas so will be tough opponents for Sutton. 

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