Rovers travel up to Yorkshire on Tuesday as they face Harrogate Town in League Two.

We look at Town, who are currently 7th in the table.

MEET THE MANAGER: SIMON WEAVER

Simon Weaver is the longest serving manager in the EFL, having served as boss at Harrogate for 12 years, including a three-year spell as player-manager before his retirement from the game in 2012.

Weaver started off his playing career at Sheffield Wednesday, where he was a defender, before playing for another 13 clubs, including the likes of Doncaster Rovers and Lincoln City.

Town are the only team that the 43-year-old has ever managed so far, racking up a total of 593 games in charge of the club.

Under the Yorkshireman’s stewardship, Harrogate have gained two promotions, most notably getting promoted into League Two in 2020.

KEY PLAYER: LUKE ARMSTRONG

Luke Armstrong signed for Town in the summer from Salford City and has hit the ground running scoring nine league goals in 19 league appearances.

The 25-year-old started his youth career at Birmingham City and Middlesbrough before joining Cowdenbeath FC in 2015 on a free.

The summer signing has played for a total of eight clubs in the senior game, most recently helping Hartlepool United secure promotion, scoring 13 league goals during his six-month loan spell.

FORM

13/11/21 – Walsall 1-3 Harrogate Town

20/11/21 – Harrogate Town 0-2 Salford City

23/11/21 – Carlisle 0-2 Harrogate Town

27/11/21 – Swindon Town 1-1 Harrogate Town

04/12/21 – Portsmouth 0-1 Harrogate Town

PLAYED FOR BOTH SIDES

Josh March

Our very own Josh March spent the second half of last season up north with Town, scoring five league goals in 10 appearances.

The forward signed for Rovers in January 2020 from Leamington and has scored three goals in 32 games for the team.

Liam Kitching

Now a Barnsley player, Liam Kitching left for the Reds in January after an eighteen-month spell at The Fully Charged New Lawn, making 53 appearances for FGR.

The Harrogate born defender also played for his hometown club on two loan spells between 2018-2019 from Leeds United before arriving in Gloucestershire.

LAST TIME OUT IN LEAGUE TWO

An 83rd minute Jack Payne penalty cancelled out a Jack Diamond first-half goal as the points we shared between Swindon Town and Harrogate Town at the County ground.

Diamond, on loan from Sunderland, opened the scoring for the Yorkshiremen in the 28th minute after Mark Oxley’s big clearance saw 21-year-old through on goal to finish.

Swindon were then handed the chance for a late equaliser when Jayden Mitchell-Lawson was brought down by Lewis Page, and Payne calmly dispatched from spot.

Before the opener from Diamond, Town top scorer Armstrong had a lob cleared off the line by Robert Hunt which looked certain to ripple the net.

Lloyd Kerry also came close for the away side, but his long-range effort was saved well by Swindon goalkeeper Jo Wollacott.

Swindon nearly came close to snatching all three points late on when a loose ball fell to the goalscorer Payne, but Harrogate keeper Oxley saved both his efforts to keep the scores level.

The draw left the home side in fourth place, whilst the visitors fell to seventh position

LAST TIME WE MET:

10-man Rovers secured a 2-1 victory at the Fully Charged New Lawn against Harrogate Town in March.

Goals in each half from Chris Stokes and Kane Wilson secured the three points for FGR despite a late goal from Jay Williams and a sending off for Elliot Whitehouse in the dying seconds.

Stokes opened the scoring for Rovers in the 22nd minute when Josh Davison’s flick on, from a Nicky Cadden free kick, reached the defender for him to volley home.

Five minutes after the break a second defender scored for FGR when Wilson broke free to slot home, his first for the season.

An added time header by Williams halved the deficit for the side from Yorkshire, but it was too little too late for the visitors.

Moments after the third goal of the game, Whitehouse received his marching orders after he was given a second yellow card in the final moments of the game. The win left Rovers in third place at the time as they went on to make the play-offs at the end of the season.

HEAD-TO-HEAD:

The two sides have only met twice before with both games being in League Two last season.

Forest Green have come away from both fixtures with the victory, the first a 1-0 away win with Jamille Matt scoring the winner.

The second win came back in March with a 2-1 win for Rovers.