Brian Dutton urges Walsall to attack Harrogate fixture

The Good Friday fixture offers the Saddlers the perfect opportunity to get their first win under Dutton against a Harrogate side seemingly letting their season fizzle out.

Four losses in five games – including three defeats in their last three – has seen Simon Weaver’s men drop to 15th in the league.

Walsall have three tough fixtures to follow tomorrow’s clash and Dutton wants his side to go after their opponents at the Banks’s Stadium.

He said: “It would be very difficult for Harrogate to go either way this season. Very difficult for them to get promoted and very difficult for them to get relegated.

“That doesn’t mean it can’t happen, but it’s very difficult.

“We then have Leyton Orient who are at the top end chasing promotion, then Forest Green and Tranmere who are chasing automatic promotion.

“Other than Harrogate we have a run of games against teams who are fighting for promotion.

“The Harrogate fixture is very important because it’s the next fixture, but the context of it is that I don’t feel they can go up or down, so we have to go attack that fixture.”

Harrogate’s position in the league, and the fact they are unlikely to challenge for promotion or face a relegation battle, means many will see The Sulphurites as a team with nothing left to play for.

But Dutton insists they may not be the case.

He added: “When you say they have nothing to play for, I understand that point, but these are professional footballers.

“I assume a lot of them are out of contract. We’re off the back of a global pandemic where wages probably weren’t what they were.

“The Harrogate boys will still harbour ambitions of putting a run together and finishing in the top seven. That’s unlikely but it doesn’t mean that it won’t happen.

“They’re also playing for their futures, whether that be with Harrogate or with someone else, they’re in the shop window and have to perform.

“It’s not the same fixture as Grimsby or Southend where they’re fighting for their lives, but these are professional footballers who will be giving their all to win the game. We can’t take them lightly.”

Callum Cockerill-Mollett may come into the team as Max Melbourne continues to deal with the after-affects of concussion and the 22-year-old is eager for the side to take their chance.

“We’ve been waiting for a good opportunity and I feel like this is a really good opportunity to get a win,” he said.

“Obviously they’ll still be up for it, they’ve just come up from the National League and will want to finish on as many points as possible.

“But I feel like we’ve got a little bit more to play for and we’ll be raring to go.”

Meanwhile, Rory Holden could return to the squad for the first time since December.

The attacking midfielder has been missing with a knee injury but travelled with the team to Grimsby on Saturday – but did not make the 18 – as he continues his recovery.

He has trained with the team this week ahead of tomorrow’s clash and could be in contention.

“Rory Holden is back in the training group now,” Dutton said.

“He’s had a long period of time out and there’s a lot of pressure on Rory, everyone’s eyes are on him including mine.

“He’s been with the physio for a long time and everything is positive. We will monitor him over the next couple days and then it’s fingers crossed time.”

Hayden White will be unavailable as he completes the final game of his suspension, while Dan Scarr is still out with a calf injury.

When asked if there are any other players set to miss out, Dutton added: “There’s no issues.

“Dan Scarr is still in rehab, other than that we have a fairly clean bill of health.”