- Bury FC are in the middle of a strong run of form (W7, L3 in 10 across all competitions).
- Bury FC are in the midst of a 3-game winning streak at home.
- Harrogate Town are in the grip of a 4-game winning sequence of their own.
Shakers are set up to be a match
Paul Wilkinson has done an excellent job since he took over as Bury FC boss on 2 July 2019 and it's a huge boost to their rebuild that they have retained that continuity at the top. The Shakers have won 3 games in a row at home, and that's a big leg-up to the home side in a cup tie.
They're set up to be a tough watch at the best of times, as they play at a good tempo, play direct football with a good mix of width and set pieces. Bury have won 6 and lost just 1 of their 7 home fixtures across all competitions this season, conceding 11 goals in those games, so they're solid at the back, but not impossible to break through.
Simon Weaver has been in charge of Harrogate Town since 21 May 2009, so the Sulphurites are in a similarly strong position, structurally speaking. They're a compact and organised unit who like to build up their play in a measured way, and they don't enjoy chaos.
Harrogate could be breached
That's the perfect set up for a cagey battle, but we're going for the home team to rise to the occasion and edge a competitive tie. Harrogate have a solid away record across all competitions (W3, L2 from 5 games), but they average 1.20 goals per game scored and 1.40 conceded on their travels.
Bury FC to win at 5/2 is the selection, as the market doesn't seem to give them enough credit for this upset, while Bailey Hobson has scored 3 goals in his last 5 Harrogate Town games and could get some joy in this fixture.
