Darren Sarll’s outfit play their first game of their Bank Holiday double header, welcoming Wealdstone on Saturday afternoon before travelling to Woking on Bank Holiday Monday.
The away side come to The Prestige Group Stadium on the back of three losses in a row to start their season, most recently a 1-0 defeat at home to Sutton. Wealdstone finished 16th in the National League last season in what was their fourth consecutive campaign in the league.
Pools have never lost to Wealdstone with three wins and a draw, with a total of four meetings in the archives. Their biggest win was a 7-2 victory away from home back in 2021, however the last time the sides met was a dramatic 4-4 draw in December.
Pools kept their third clean sheet in three games in their most recent fixture away at Tamworth, where Joe Grey’s late goal handed Darren Sarl’s men all three points in a 1-0 win. With two wins and a draw, Sarll will be looking to continue the momentum before facing Woking just two days later.
From The Gaffer
“Matt [Taylor] has recruited a lot of experience,” stated Pools manager Darren Sarll.
“They’ve been in every game – results will suggest otherwise but it will be a really tough game. Matt’s got his own way of playing, which is good of him to stick by his values and principles.
“These are tough, tough games. Just because it’s Wealdstone and Hartlepool, who are on different planets in terms of history and tradition, that doesn’t make it any easier. They’re a full-time club now, and as we saw on Tuesday night when we played a part-time operation, this is going to be really tough.”
Last Meeting
Back in December, a dramatic eight-goal thriller saw Pools leave Grosvenor Vale with a point.
Pools were three goals down inside 30 minutes, before pegging two goals back on the stroke of half-time through Callum Cooke and Joe Grey.
The Stones made it 4-2 but two goals in the last ten minutes, including an extra-time strike from Mitch Hancox, brought the game level at 4-4.
Only seven players from the Hartlepool side that faced Wealdstone last time out will be available for selection tomorrow.
Team News
Pools captain Luke Waterfall will once again be eligible for selection having served a one-game suspension at Tamworth on Tuesday night.
Kieran Wallace and Greg Sloggett both returned to full training this week having recovered from their injuries.
Dan Dodds will not be available for selection, though the right-back is continuing to be managed day-to-day following his minor hamstring injury.
Luke Charman is expected to miss a minimum of a month after a recent scan on his ankle injury.
New signing Gary Madine is continuing to be assessed by Pools manager Darren Sarll, having recently recovered from a long-term ACL injury.
How To Watch
The game will be streamed live on National League TV for supporters overseas, with match passes priced at £9.99. Click here for more information.
Ticketing and supporter information for those attending The Prestige Group Stadium can be found here.
