In one of the biggest matches in their history, Gainsborough Trinity travel to face League Two’s Harrogate Town in an Emirates FA Cup Second Round tie.
Gainsborough Trinity can match their club record in the competition with a win, having previously reached the third round in the 1886-87 season.
The Run So Far:
The Holy Blues won the first three qualifying rounds all by a scoreline of 2-1, beating Telford United, Grantham Town, and impressively National League North Darlington.
The Fourth Qualifying round pitted Russ Wilcox’s Trinity up against fellow Lincolnshire side Boston United, who needed a 97th minute equaliser from Pemi Aderoju to take it to a replay.
That brought a thrashing for the Pilgrims at the Jakeman’s Community Stadium, as Gainsborough put four past them to progress to the first-round proper of the FA Cup in some style.
The first round saw the Holy Blues travel to Staffordshire to Hednesford Town. After going 3-0 down, Trinity brought it back to 3-3 in 90 minutes, before finishing 4-4 after an intense period of extra time.
In the end, a 5-4 penalty shootout win saw Gainsborough progress dramatically, as they reached the second round for the first time in 72 years.
Opposition: Harrogate Town
The Sulphurites have become a mainstay in League Two in seasons past, after being originally promoted in the 2019/20 season.
Manager Simon Weaver stands as the longest-serving manager in the Football League, after he was made player-manager in May 2009.
During his tenure, Weaver guided Harrogate to the National League for the first time in their history, before a play-off final win over Notts County secured a historic-writing promotion into the football league.
The Yorkshire-based side progressed to the Second Round of the FA Cup after beating League One Wrexham 1-0, thanks to a headed finish by Jack Muldoon. Though, Gainsborough will be looking to put Harrogate on the wrong side of a cup upset in a potentially money-spinning tie.
Head-to-Head:
There have been some 23 matches played between the two sides in all competitions, with Harrogate on top in those battles.
The Sulphurites have tasted victory 11 times, with Gainsborough winning seven alongside five draws.
The first fixture between the side dates back to 2006, where Harrogate won 2-0 in the National League North. And, the last fixture also saw a 2-0 win for Harrogate, this time thanks to goals from Jack Emmett and Mark Beck.
However, Gainsborough Trinity hold an FA Cup victory over their opponents, when they pipped Harrogate Town to the post in the 2017/18 qualifying rounds.
The Linc will provide full coverage of the game, on both X (formerly known as Twitter) and our website.