Harrogate Town refusing to give up on play-off hopes despite damaging defeat at Notts County

Defeat saw the Sulphurites drop down to 13th position in the League Two standings where they now find themselves seven points shy of the top seven.

With just four matches left to play this term, their chances of making up such a significant gap look slim, but Simon Weaver insists that his players will continue to fight to stay in the promotion mix until it becomes a mathematical impossibility and aim to take advantage of any slip-ups from the teams currently ahead of them.

"There are still 12 points to play for and we owe it to ourselves not to let disappointment consume us," he said, speaking following his side's first defeat in six matches.

"We're still in it, you know, and we'll fight tooth and nail. On Tuesday [against Grimsby] we want to come out of the traps fast and continue the good work of recent games - I think that we've really stepped up a notch in recent months.

"We'll be glad to play on home turf again under the floodlights and hopefully rack up three points and just ask the question, because the closer it gets to the finishing line for the likes of Crawley and the teams above us, it's only when it's sealed that people truly relax.

"So, as you get close to the finishing line, people can get anxious and slip up in the games where you don't expect them to slip up. So, that's what I'm hoping for, but we've got to do our bit and go and get some wins now."

Town have the opportunity to bounce straight back from their disappointment at Notts when they welcome relegation-threatened Grimsby to Wetherby Road on Tuesday evening, 7.45pm kick-off.

The Mariners currently sit 21st in the table, just five points above the relegation zone, but somewhat better off following their 1-0 home success over Newport County at the weekend.