After a rare weekend off due to their home match against
Weymouth being rearranged, Hartlepool United welcome Chesterfield to the Vic in
Pools are 15 unbeaten and recorded their biggest National League victory to date by defeating Wealdstone 7-2 in their last game. Despite top scorer Luke Armstrong being an unused sub, Pools still managed to claim a comprehensive victory to boost their confidence before this crucial run of games.
The Opposition
Chesterfield have won just one of their last five games, a
2-1 victory over King's Lynn. In that run of games, they've drawn with Wrexham
and Boreham Wood, and lost to Halifax Town and in-form Bromley. They're eighth
in the table, 14 points behind Pools but just a point behind Wrexham who occupy
the final play-off place.The Spireites are led by James
Rowe, appointed in November, and feature Laurence Maguire, brother of
Manchester United captain Harry, and experienced striker Nathan Tyson, a
goalscorer against Pools in his time at Nottingham Forest.The History
This will be the 96th meeting between the clubs. Pools'
record against Chesterfield is fairly even, winning 37 times compared to
Chesterfield's 43 victories. 15 matches have ended in a draw.This season, Pools won the reverse fixture. An own goal and
a strike from Ryan Johnson, his first for the club, gave Pools all three points
in the second game of the season.Team News
Ryan Johnson is expected to miss this weekend's fixture as
he continues his comeback from a hyperextended knee. Ben Killip and Joe Grey
are long-term absentees, while Richie Bennett has returned to Stockport
following his short-term loan spell.New signings Harvey Saunders, Zaine Francis-Angol, and Brad
James are all available, although the latter is likely to be cover for Henrich
Ravas following the Slovakian's performance since stepping between the posts.Watch, Listen, and Follow
The match is being shown by BT Sport with coverage starting at 5pm on BT Sport 1 HD. Due to the game being on TV, the usual live stream is not available. However, commentary is still available on Mixlr with Alex Chandy and Evan Horwood.
https://mixlr.com/hartlepool-united/
Please remember that Hartlepool United are joining in
solidarity with the FA, Premier League, EFL, FA Women's Super League, FA
Women's Championship, PFA, LMA, PGMOL, Kick It Out, the FSA and the National
League for a social media blackout this weekend. This is in response to sustained
discriminatory abuse received online by players and many others connected to
football.To ensure that fans don't miss out on following Pools in this crucial game, we'll be providing a live reporting service on our official website. To read more about the boycott and why it's taking place, read here: https://www.hartlepoolunited.co.uk/english-football-announces-social-media-boycott/
Matchday lottery
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