League Two Form Guide

		P	GD	Pts
1	Port Vale	6	+6	16
2	MK Dons	6	+8	13
3	Doncaster	6	+5	13
4	Walsall	6	+5	11
5	Bradford	6	+4	11
6	Crewe	6	+4	11
7	Notts County	6	+3	11
8	Salford	6	+2	11
9	Chesterfield	6	+6	10
10	Cheltenham	6	+1	10
11	Accrington Stanley	6	+1	10
12	Grimsby	6	-5	9
13	AFC Wimbledon	6	+4	7
14	Bromley	6	0	7
15	Newport County	6	-2	7
16	Fleetwood Town	6	+1	6
17	Swindon	6	-1	6
18	Barrow	6	-2	5
19	Tranmere	6	-4	5
20	Harrogate Town	6	-5	5
21	Morecambe	6	-8	4
22	Colchester	6	-6	3
23	Carlisle	6	-9	2
24	Gillingham	6	-7	1

Full Form Table
Prem|Champ|L1|NL|VN|VS
SPL|SC|S1|S2

Question of the Week

Is football a business or a sport?

The Dreaded Place

Hartlepool v Grimsby Preview

By: Alex Green
Date: 06/10/2009

8-1. Would that be considered a result for us on Tuesday? "Well we kept it down to single figures and Conlon only punched 3 people!"

Home > 2009-2010 Season > Previews > Hartlepool (h)

I apologise for the short nature of the preview I was distracted by the brilliant Mega Shark Vs Giant Octopus. So like our probable involvement in this competition I’ll keep it short and sweet.

But firstly I want you to do something for me. Think back, close your eyes if it helps and dig in the vaults of your memory banks for that special memory. That one exceptional piece of history you’ve designated extraordinary enough to hold on too. Whether it be from when you were a child, man, woman, girl or kangaroo. It’s a memory we all have at that precise moment you realised why you’re here, why you needed to follow this club, why out of all the other hundreds of clubs available to you that this one club was the one for you. A memory that makes you puff your chest out with pride and stand a thousand feet tall. It could be your first match the first roar, first win, first giant killing, or standing together with pride in defeat. Whatever it is grab it now tighter then ever that one memory will help you through this terrible start to the season and remember the guy sat in front, next to and behind you has a similar memory he or she cherishes too. Well it’s helped me cause memories like that will come around again someday soon I promise.

Till then lets deal with the shite were up against. The Barnet defeat has been filed under repressed memory for the time being as we await a trip to Hartlepool. Those lucky enough to go last time have already upped their medication in preparation to prevent some sort of Vietnam flashback from occurring.

Overview

Their History

Founder members of the Durham FA as West Hartlepool in 1881. Hartlepool’s present form was created back in 1908 after the rugby club who occupied Victoria Park folded making way for the football team. Their first game was a 6-0 win over Newcastle United!

Last Season Was

How optimistic must Hartlepool fans have felt at the end of August. 4 wins from 6 and 2 defeats 1 in the last minute against Stockport. 1 of the wins was even against Premier League West Brom in the Carling Cup. Then the rest of the season happened. One win in September was countered by a good October but then a gradual decline which finally resulted in Danny Wilson leaving in December. Meant The Pool were doomed to a relegation battle and one they avoided on the very last day of the season. Also worth mentioning was their impressive 2-0 home win against Premiership applecart up setters Stoke in the FA CUP.

This Season Is

They’re not exactly uprooting trees but what would we give for a season of midtable obscurity. Hartlepool have meandered through their league fixtures.

Highpoint: Beating Oldham 3-0 away.
Low point: Losing 2-0 at home to Norwich

Yet again Hartlepool have exceeded expectation in the cup which doesn’t bode well for ourselves a 1-0 win away at Coventry in the League Cup and a narrow extra time defeat to Burnley show what were up against. As if we didn’t already know it would be an uphill struggle.

Famous Players

Quite a few actually Newcastle keeper Steve Harper for a modern day one if we can count a Championship goalkeeper? The ever brilliant Peter Beardsley, Norwegian international Jan Ove Pedersen and local boy Michael Brown currently plying his trade at Portsmouth but previously graced the shirts of WIgan, Fulham, Spurs, Sheff Utd and Man City.

Key Player

It was a toss up between Adam Boyd who has scored both and all of Hartlepools goals in cup competitions so far this season and leading goal scorer Denis Behan. I decided on the latter. The 25 year old Irish forward landed this year on our shores after a long and fruitful career at Cork City; his 31 goals in 171 matches in the FAI league won Behan a contract with Hartlepool in June of this year. The signing was meant to be one of a double for The Monkey Hangars with the midfielder Colin Healy joining Behan at the Victoria ground but signed for struggling Ipswich at the last minute instead. Some what of a dead ball specialist Behin’s second for The Pool was a superb 30 yard free kick at Oldham. His vision and movement will be trouble and with 4 goals so far if he plays he may well be able to fill his boots against our poor defence.

Recent Form

Town

Hartlepool

L	Barnet	(a)	0-3
L	Chesterfield	(a)	2-3
D	Darlington	(h)	1-1
W	Torquay	(a)	2-0
W	Hereford	(h)	1-0

Currently 22nd in League Two.

L	Exeter	(a)	1-3
D	Stockport	(a)	2-2
W	Walsall	(h)	3-0
L	Colchester	(a)	0-2
D	Wycombe	(h)	1-1

Currently 15th in League One.

Top Scorers

Town

Hartlepool

Conlon	3
Sweeney	3

Behan	4
Boyd	4

Team News

Town	Hartlepool
Nathan Jarman is likely to feature for the first time this season after recovery from a broken bone in his foot. Paul Linwood (concussion) and Robbie Stockdale (groin) will be missing. Midfielder Danny Boshell is back in contention following a hamstring injury. Barry Conlon is suspended (again).	Striker James Brown and defender Peter Hartley are both injured.

Squads

Town

Hartlepool

1	GK	Nick Colgan
2	DF	Robbie Stockdale
3	DF	Joe Widdowson
4	DF	Ryan Bennett (captain)
5	DF	Matthew Heywood
6	MF	Peter Sweeney
7	MF	Adrian Forbes
8	FW	Nathan Jar man
9	FW	Adam Proudlock
10	FW	Barry Conlon
11	MF	Danny Boshell
12	DF	Jamie Clarke
13	MF	Nick Hegarty
14	MF	Peter Bore
15	DF	Matthew Bird
16	DF	Paul Linwood
17	MF	Grant Normington
18	FW	Chris Jones
19	MF	Michael Leary
25	DF	Robert Atkinson
26	FW	Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro
27	FW	Danny North
35	GK	Leigh Overton

1	GK	Scott Flinders
2	DF	Neil Austin
3	DF	Ritchie Humphreys
4	MF	Gary Liddle
5	DF	Sam Collins
6	DF	Ben Clark
7	MF	Leon McSweeney
8	MF	Ritchie Jones
9	FW	Denis Behan
10	FW	Adam Boyd
11	MF	Andy Monkhouse
12	FW	James Brown
14	MF	Jonny Rowell
15	MF	Antony Sweeney
16	DF	Steve Haslam
19	MF	Jon André Fredriksen
20	MF	Alan Power
21	GK	Mark Cook
22	FW	Matty Tymon
23	FW	Colin Larkin
24	FW	Billy Greulich
26	DF	Ármann Björnsson
29	DF	Peter Hartley
TBA	MF	Willie Boland
TBA	DF	Julien Cherel

Head to Head

Town comfortably lead overall but they have lost all four games this millenium, by an aggregate score of 2-16.

P45 W21D7 L17F64A55

Head-to-Head (27th on The Opposition Ladder)

Last Meeting

Hartlepool 2 Grimsby 0 (Tue 26th Dec 2006)

Boxing Day, 3 years ago. Hartlepool won at a canter.

Report

Prediction

The Fishy Prediction

As long as its not 8-1 I don’t care I’m going past caring. A defeat results in a shrug of the shoulders followed instantly by the thought "What shall I have for tea?"

Hartlepool 2-0 Grimsby

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League Two Form Guide

Question of the Week

Hartlepool v Grimsby Preview

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