Harrogate v Doncaster

Doncaster Rovers make the journey to Harrogate Town on Thursday evening, looking to increase their lead at the top of the League Two table in what is a North v South Yorkshire battle.

Grant McCann’s side ended Gillingham’s unbeaten league start to the season on Saturday thanks to a 1-0 home victory and are seeking a fourth straight win in all competitions. On the other hand, it has been much more challenging of late for the hosts, who have suffered three consecutive losses in league and cup; failing to score a goal in the process.

Although Rovers will surely be on a high because of their string of wins, all three were by a slender one-goal margin, suggesting they’ve been edging tight games. Therefore, they will still expect to have to perform well here against an out-of-form opponent, especially one they have never defeated before.

Harrogate are deemed significant outsiders in this fixture based upon bookmaker prices, but given both of their wins this season in league and cup when priced 4.0 or greater, it suggests they don’t mind being the underdog.

Harrogate v Doncaster Best Bets

The facts are there for all to see. Doncaster sit top of the table and their xGF (expected goals for) statistics prove that it is deservedly so. They play a brand of football that few others in the league can compete with when they are on it, and they certainly are at such a level right now.

Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for Harrogate, who are proving rather toothless in front of goal, and suddenly expecting that to change against a superior opponent is unlikely, albeit not impossible.

Doncaster to win and over 1.5 goals instantly stands out as a bet of some value. Grant McCann’s side are averaging 2.0 goals per league fixture this season and given they are facing a team with the second-worst xGA (expected goals against) figure in the league, it is a bet that could be odds-on.

Rovers will also be fuelled with additional motivation to finally get a result against this opponent in what is a Yorkshire derby. Harrogate have seemingly dropped off from last season to this, based upon early season performances and they will need a lot to fall right for them on the night to avoid defeat.

📂 Harrogate v Doncaster Cheat Sheet

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📊 Harrogate Form and Stats

Harrogate are enduring a three-match losing streak in all competitions, but perhaps the greatest concern for their long-serving manager Simon Weaver is failing to score a goal in reply. The last time this happened to the club was in September 2022, which was amidst a 10-game winless period. They’ll be looking to improve their current predicament before it gets quite so dire again.

Another area Town need to sharpen up in is defensively. Although seven other clubs in League Two have conceded more goals, they sit second only to Colchester with regards to xGA, meaning their poor start to the campaign arguably should be even a little worse than it is. Also, Harrogate are behind only Newport in terms of the number of shots faced, so they’re no strangers to coming under periods of pressure.

One way of boosting their form would be to start collecting more points when playing at Wetherby Road. Thursday’s home team recorded the fifth-worst home record in League Two last season and they’ve lost three from three here in all competitions, again not scoring in any of those. That is a marked contrast from last season, where from the start of November 2023 until the end of the season, they only failed to score in two home games.

Weaver, a former defender himself, will also be ruing the amount of late goals that they’ve been shipping in league action. Over 70% of their League Two goals conceded have been beyond the 60^th minute, potentially highlighting some fitness issues or problems with concentration.

There is a notable difference compared to the first-half figures, which have seen the opposition score just once, so clearly the next port of call is to stretch this defensive solidity across a full 90 minutes.

📊 Doncaster Form and Stats

Doncaster were amongst the pre-season favourites to secure promotion out of League Two this time around having impressed with their late run into the play-offs in 2023/24. Although they weren’t successful on that occasion, they’ve started with real intent a month into the new campaign; winning four of their first five league clashes and averaging 2.00 goals per match in the process.

Manager Grant McCann is known for building teams that play an attractive style of play with a big emphasis on attacking with speed, so it comes as no shock to see them not only top the actual league table but also the League Two xGF count. Although ranked more towards mid-table with regards to xGA, McCann will only be concerned about simply scoring one more than the opponent.

Rovers cannot afford to take Harrogate too lightly here given that Doncaster’s only two losses this season in any competition came away from home; albeit one was to Premier League side Everton in a cup tie. Nevertheless, they only had a bottom-half away record last season and when it is remembered their home equivalent was top-five, it proves that when they have off-days they are usually on the road.

In Donny’s defence, their more recent exploits on the road shine them in a brighter light. It was only really their early season issues on the road that read negatively, as over their previous 15 league/play-off away battles they’ve suffered only three defeats. Also, they have not failed to score in any of those, but a total of just three clean sheets suggests an open match may materialise on Thursday.

⚔️ Harrogate v Doncaster Head-to-Head

Although only around 43 miles separates Harrogate and Doncaster geographically, this has not been a regular fixture on the footballing calendar over the years. Thursday’s encounter will be only the fifth such competitive occasion, with all of the previous clashes occurring since the start of last year.

It is very much a case of advantage Harrogate, who are unbeaten in this head-to-head sequence, three of which were victories. The most recent meeting was in January, which ended with a 3-1 home triumph for the Sulphurites. Forward Sam Folarin opened the scoring that day and has already netted three goals in all competitions this season; all coming in the second half of matches.

Three of the four contests these clubs have played out have been draws at half-time, so it would be no real shock if this midweek fixture turned out to be another slow burner. That case is made all the stronger knowing that Harrogate and Doncaster are two of only four League Two clubs this season yet to be losing at half-time in any game.

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* We recommend waiting for confirmed team line-ups before placing any bets.

* All odds displayed correct at the time of publishing.

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