Harrogate Town play their first ever game as members of EFL League Two when they travel to Roots Hall to take on Southend United. The Sulphurites earned their league status just 34 days ago after a dominant win over Notts County in the National League play-off final.
The Shrimpers will play League Two football for the first time since the 2014-15 season after finishing second from bottom in the EFL League One table on an unweighted points per game basis. Mark Moleseley is the new manager in the Southend dugout after guiding Weymouth to the National League last season.
Team news
Moleseley told the club's official website that Harry Lennon "is a little bit more of a complicated one after coming back from a serious injury and a couple of serious injuries in between that" while also saying "he's back in training but he's almost at the start of pre-season now.”
While Tom Clifford won't feature, the Shrimpers boss is more optimistic, saying: "He’s progressing well. He's hoping to join back in training next week which will be a big boost for us."
Harrogate have a fully fit squad although there could be a change in goal with James Belshaw replacing Joe Cracknell.
Predicted line-ups
Southend United: (4-4-2) Oxley; Taylor, Hobson, White, Bwomono; Green, Dieng, Hutchinson. Egbri; Goodship, Kelman.
Harrogate Town: (4-3-3) Belshaw; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson, Falkingham, Kerry; Walker, Martin, Muldoon.
Managers comments
Moleseley said of what he expects: "I want an energetic approach straightaway. We've got to believe in ourselves and commit to our processes.
"That's what we're looking for, that energy and belief. It's a game of how you deal with both boxes and we need to be ruthless at both ends of the field."
Head-to-Head
This is the first-ever meeting between the two clubs.
How to watch
You can follow the match live on Southend's official streaming service iFollow Blues with kick-off scheduled for 3pm on Saturday.