Harrogate's skipper Josh Falkingham is set to endure personal anguish this Saturday when his League Two team faces off against his boyhood club Leeds United at Elland Road in the FA Cup.

Despite being a lifelong fan of the Whites and having spent 11 years in their academy, Falkingham will be sidelined for what would have been a dream third-round match due to am ankle injury he suffered last month.

The 34-year-old midfielder from Rothwell, who has been instrumental in Harrogate's rise to the English Football League, is currently recuperating from surgery and will be supporting his team from the sidelines during the historic first competitive clash between the two Yorkshire sides.

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Falkingham, who tore a ligament connecting the tibia and fibula just five days after the draw was made, shared with PA news agency: "My initial feelings were just devastation."

He continued: "Everybody around me knew it. The timing of it, what it meant. It’s the biggest disappointment of my career."

He acknowledged the emotional challenge ahead, saying: "It’s going to hurt at some point on Saturday and I’ve spoken to the manager and people around me about that."

However, Falkingham remains determined not to let his personal feelings impact the team's morale: "But there is no way I’ll let any negativity affect the camp. It’s not about me. It’s about Harrogate Town and giving as much help to the lads going out there to try and get a result."

He emphasised his role in the upcoming game, stating: "They can do the town and the club proud and I can offer advice and encouragement. That’s all it’s about. That’s what I’ll be trying to do."

He also reflected on how a previous ankle injury dashed his chances of breaking into Leeds' first team as a young player, despite joining their academy at the tender age of eight.

"I know it sounds crazy, but I do believe everything happens for a reason," he said. "Under (former Leeds manager) Gary McAllister I was really close. So to go full circle, to get that FA Cup draw and then miss out again due to another ankle injury. It was not meant to be.

"All I ever wanted to do was to play at Elland Road. I’d only played for the reserves there. Not just for me personally, but for my family, especially my dad, who’s a massive Leeds fan.

"It would have been for everybody else, my mum, my uncle, to see me walk out there. I would have been giving them something back after the commitment they had given me from such a young age. If I needed to tick off anything on the bucket list in football, Elland Road for me was top."

"But I’ve always been a positive lad. It took me 48 hours to swallow it and my sole focus now is to do as much as I can to help the lads."

Harrogate are currently bidding to steer clear of a relegation battle in their fifth season in the Football League after winning promotion for the first time via the play-offs in 2020. They secured their plum tie at Leeds by beating Wrexham and Gainsborough earlier in the competition and have never reached the fourth round.

Simon Weaver’s side halted a seven-game winless run last week with a timely 2-0 victory at Barrow to leave them five points clear of the drop zone.

"We’ve never really had a glamourous cup tie like this," Falkingham, who has a rich history in Scottish football with stints at St Johnstone, Arbroath and Dunfermline after leaving Leeds in 2010, shared his excitement about the upcoming match. "The buzz that the draw gives you, as a lower league professional, is incredible."

He also emphasized the team's primary goal: "But ultimately, our aim is to stay in the Football League and get out of the position we’re in and I’m sure the manager will add to that."

Falkingham didn't downplay the potential impact of a good performance: "Having said that, if we put in a performance and get a result at Elland Road, the confidence and momentum that will bring to the group would be huge."