Eastleigh v Hartlepool United
National League
Saturday 28th September 2019, 3pm
Silverlake Stadium
In Opposition
Similarly to Pools, Eastleigh have had an inconsistent start to 2019/20 and the two sides come in to Saturday's meeting level on 16 points in the National League table.
An opening day win over new boys Notts County helped build
confidence but Ben Strevens' men have found victories hard to come by in the
weeks since then.The Spitfires have proved hard to beat on their own patch
where they have tasted defeat only once but three draws from their six outings
will have been a source of much frustration.Eastleigh dealt with the loss of last season's top scorer Paul McCallum to Solihull Moors by making a move for Scott Rendell, while at the start of the month they further boosted their firepower with a loan move for Southampton front man Marcus Barnes.
One To Watch
Danny Hollands is a man in-form for Saturday's opponents, having scored five goals in his last seven outings going in to the weekend's encounter.
That's already three more than he managed in the National
League last term and marks him out as one of the major threats as Pools head
for Hampshire this weekend.The former Bournemouth midfielder is just over a month away
from turning 34 but he's been a key player for The Spitfires so far will need to
be well marshalled on Saturday.Head To Head
Saturday's game will be only the fifth competitive meeting between the two clubs and Pools are still waiting for their first victory over The Spitires.
They did at least take a point from the encounter at
Victoria Park just over a year ago, but each of the other three fixtures have
gone Eastleigh's way.Our last visit to Silverlake Stadium was at the end of March
when three set-piece goals from the hosts ensured they came out on top with a
3-2 triumph.Last Meeting
Eastleigh 3 Pools 2
Saturday 30th March 2019
Eastleigh: Southwood, Hare, Green, Hobson, Boyce, Wynter, Jones (Miley 68), Yeates (Gobern 84), Hollands, Matthews (Zebroski 76), Williamson.
Subs not used: McKnight, Dennet.
Pools: Loach, Kioso, Anderson, Edgar, Kitching (Muir 89), Noble (Holohan 88), Donaldson (Hawkes 77), Featherstone, Molyneux, Kabamba, James.
Subs not used: Kerr, Richardson, Amos.
On The Whistle
Lloyd Wood will take charge of his first Pools game this weekend when he's the man in the middle for our trip to face Eastleigh.
Now in to his second season on the National League's list ofreferees, Wood has overseen five games so far at our level this term.
His most recent appointment was for Bromley's 2-1 win over
Notts County last Saturday, while he oversaw Eastleigh's 1-0 defeat at Yeovil
Town during the first week of the campaign.Live Commentary
We'll once again be providing full live and totally FREE online commentary of Saturday's game here on the Official Website.
Mark Simpson will be on-air at Silverlake Stadium from
2.50pm when he'll bring you all the build-up to kick-off and then describe all
the action as it unfolds against The Spitfires.Click here now to access the live online commentary.
Buying Tickets
Pools fans can make a saving on tickets for Saturday's game if they buy them online prior to 4.30pm on Friday afternoon.
Click here for all the information you need on tickets for the trip to Silverlake Stadium.
Betting Odds
Eastleigh 13/10
Pools 23/10
Draw 7/4