A winless Bolton Wanderers side travel to the Keepmoat Stadium to take on EFL new boys Harrogate Town on Saturday as Ian Evatt’s side look to put their early misfortunes behind them.
Simon Weaver's side have made an unbeaten start to their very first season in the Football League, beating Southend United 4-0 on the opening day of the season and following it up with draws against Walsall and Port Vale.
Wanderers, on the other hand, despite being considered promotion favourites by many after their relegation from the third-tier last season, have tasted defeat in all three League Two matches played so far, without scoring a goal.
Their unexpected, contrasting form to start the season is what makes Saturday’s match-up an interesting one, with what Harrogate lack in experience and quality compared to Bolton being made up for with the early momentum they have built.
Team news
Bolton manager Evatt confirmed new signing Lloyd Isgrove will miss the weekend’s clash through injury, whereas Arthur Gnahoua remains fit and available and could come into contention for a start at the Keepmoat Stadium this weekend.
Summer arrivals Antoni Sarcevic and Shaun Miller returned to training this week and could be available for a place in the matchday squad this Saturday.
For Harrogate, Jack Muldoon missed out on last weekend’s trip to Port Vale with a minor muscle injury, however, he could still make a return to the side on Saturday.
Goalkeeper James Belshaw continues to progress in his recovery from a hand injury, but he will most likely be unavailable at the weekend.
Predicted line-ups
Harrogate Town (4-4-2): Cracknell; Fallowfield, Smith, Hall, Burrell; Thomson, Falkingham, Kerry, Muldoon; Beck, Martin
Bolton Wanderers (3-4-1-2): Crelin; Santos, Baptise, Greenidge; Jones, Comley, White, Gordon; Sarcevic; Gnahoua, Doyle
Ones to watch
Harrogate Town – Jack Muldoon
Should the left-sided midfielder make a return to the team on Saturday, then he will be a player that Bolton will have to silence if they are to have any joy in the game.
The 31-year-old has scored three times in just two league games to start the campaign, following on from his impressive 2019-20 season where he found the net a further 14 times in the National League.
Bolton Wanderers – Eoin Doyle
Along with his new team as a whole, League Two’s Player of the Season for last year has made a slow start to life at Bolton and will be looking to rediscover that deadly, goal-scoring touch that terrorised that league last season.
With serial playmaker Sarcevic hoping to make a return, the ex-Swindon Town forward will be hoping to receive better service going forward as he looks to replicate his 25-goal campaign in 2019/20.
Last time out
This weekend will see a first meeting between the two clubs, with the current campaign being Harrogate’s very first in the Football League.
The two are polar opposites in terms of the history, as a founder member of the EFL and a newcomer to the go head to head this weekend.
How to watch
The only way to view this fixture is by purchasing a £10 'IFollow' match pass on either of the club's official websites.
What the managers have said
Harrogate boss Weaver understands the magnitude of their next game, but his team are not planning on letting their unbeaten start to the season end on Saturday.
Weaver said: “The Bolton game is a huge one for us. They’re a massive club, with history, a big fan-base and a fantastic stadium, but they haven’t had the best of starts and they’ll be desperate to put that right this weekend.
“We can’t allow them to do that. We have to be on the front foot, making life difficult for them and all-energy with and without the ball. We’ve made a positive start to the season and we have to be relentless in trying to build on that.”
Evatt recalled on his experiences of facing Harrogate last season as Barrow boss, and he expects a tough fixture when his Bolton side arrive at Keepmoat Stadium.
Evatt exclaimed: “I know a lot about Harrogate, probably more than most. Simon (Weaver) has done a fantastic job there and they are hard to play against in terms of their intensity – they are grafters and they really work hard for one another.
“They put you under pressure and they’ll put the ball into areas that force you to defend. They’re very good from set-pieces as most League Two teams are, and we have to be at the races it’s as simple as that. We have to make sure we’re better with and without the ball than we were last Saturday.”
