We revisit the mileage that Pools will have to complete during the 2019/20 National League campaign following Aldershot Town's reinstatement.
The distance Pools will travel for National League games next season has now shot past the 10,000 mark following confirmation that Aldershot Town will replace Gateshead in 2019/20.
The National League announced at the weekend that Gateshead are to play in National League North next term, meaning Pools’ lose their closest fixture, given that The International Stadium is less than 30 miles away.
Instead, Pools must plan for a trip to Aldershot once again – and The EBB Stadium requires a slightly longer journey because it’s just over 285 miles from ground to ground.
That means that our revised travel figure in round trips for 2019/20 shoots up to 10,222 (previously 9,709) which represents a jump of almost 300 miles on last term’s total and is second in the division only to Barrow who must travel almost 10,600 miles.
Long trips to Braintree Town, Maidstone United and Havant & Waterlooville were lost after they were all relegated, while Leyton Orient went the other way as National League champions.
However, the relegation of Yeovil Town (336.3 miles away) from League Two and Torquay United’s instant return from National League South (they’re some 365.4 miles away!) mean they become our two longest journeys of the season.
Woking got through the National League South play-offs to return to the fifth tier and offer a 552-miles round trip for Pools, while Chorley (140.5 miles away) saw off Spennymoor Town in the National League North Play-Off Final to deny us a local derby.
Harrogate Town are now our closest placed opposition – they play their games just 62.4 miles from The Super 6 Stadium.
Of course, travelling in excess of 10,000 miles in a season is not uncommon for Pools, though the new term's overall figure is still slightly less than the record set in 2010/11 when the squad covered an eye-watering 10,490 miles.