Harrogate Railway under 'no pressure' heading into crunch clash with title rivals Campion AFC, insists Mick O'Connell

Dan McDaid celebrates after netting Harrogate Railway's last-gasp winner during Saturday's 2-1 home success over Horbury Town. Pictures: Gerard Binks

Harrogate Railway head into Wednesday night’s crunch clash with title rivals Campion in about as fine form as they could be – and buoyed by a last-gasp winner in their previous game.

Currently second in the NCEL Division One standings and six points behind their top-of-the-table hosts, Mick O’Connell’s team travel to West Yorkshire for a fixture that will likely go a long way to deciding who finishes in pole position come the end of the season.

Victory for the Starbeck outfit would leave them within touching distance of the league leaders and boasting a game in hand.

And while the Rail know that they have a huge task on their hands against opposition that have lost just three times in 30 Division One outings this term, they will approach the contest in confident state of mind.

Captain Dan McDaid celebrates with his Harrogate Railway team-mates and substitutes after netting a 97th-minute winner against Horbury Town.

Not only are they unbeaten in 23 matches and on a nine-game winning run, they’re also fresh from beating Horbury Town on Saturday courtesy of a last-gasp Dan McDaid strike which hit the back of the net in the seventh minute of stoppage-time.

On the character his players showed in keeping going to fight their way to that 2-1 success at Station View, O’Connell said: “The character in this group, it’s the sign of a good team when you’re fighting, probing, you keep going and keep going, you keep recovering from set-backs and then last kick of the game you put the ball in the net.

“The character from our lads, they probed for 95 minutes and got what they deserved.

"The whole lot of them were absolutely superb. This is a group of warriors and what we have got in that changing room, you cannot buy it.

Harrogate Railway manager Mick O'Connell.

"We don’t have the luxury of a big budget, but what we have is a changing room full of absolute warriors who are prepared to die for 95 minutes – and that’s what gets us through tight games.

"I’m so proud of these lads. The application they show when they’re on a pittance, basically getting paid fuel money, they are a credit to the club.”

Elated though he was following Saturday’s victory, O’Connell did however go on to play down the significance of his team's midweek trip to Campion.

"For me, it’s not a title-decider,” the Rail boss added. “It’s just another game, another three points that we are going to go and try to pick up.

"It’s in Campion’s hands, isn’t it. They were in front all year and they’ve sort of let it slip. Every single team has a blip, we had ours and draws have killed us this year.

"But it’s in Campion’s hands, all the pressure is on Campion. We’ve got no pressure on us whatsoever.

"Our goal this year was to get in the play-offs and see what we can do there, but like I say, we will just approach it like any other game.

"Our focus will be on that game and that game only, we’re not concentrating on titles or leagues, it is just one game at a time.”

The Rail’s clash with Campion kicks-off at 7.45pm on Wednesday evening.