Antony Sweeney confirms Clint Hill 'in discussions' over future at Hartlepool United after missing 1-0 win at Wycombe Wanderers

Mark Cullen’s fifth goal in six starts was enough to secure Pools’ place in the second round of the competition. But first team coach Hill was a notable absentee on the bench which Sweeney was quick to address following the full-time whistle.

"Clint is in discussions with the club regarding his future,” he said.

"I’m not 100-per-cent sure where those discussions are at as we’ve had a big game to concentrate on. But what I will say is that Clint has been absolutely fantastic since he came here.

"It’s been really difficult circumstances as well because he wasn’t in the door long before Dave left. He was brought into the club to be part of Dave’s staff so I can only thank him.

"He’s been a massive help and nothing but professional while he’s been here but I’m also understanding that sometimes you have to make decisions that are best for yourself and your family.

"If he’s no longer at the club then I’ll wish him all the best.”

Youth coach Ian McGuckin partnered Sweeney in the technical area on Tuesday night.

"I was delighted to have Gucky here,” Sweeney added. “He's got his hands full with the youth programme but fair play to the college for letting us have him for this game. We’ll see what happens with that and take it day by day.”

On the match, Sweeney continued: “It's what we asked for and what we thought we might need to get through. The lads, to a man, were absolutely fantastic.

“We rode our luck at times, probably too much for our liking but you don't come away from a place like this with a win and a clean sheet without riding your luck.

“We want more bodies into the box and the ball goes into the area and Culls is in the right area again and does well and continues his great run for us.

“You could go through the full team. It's not easy for 95-minutes of getting the ball loaded into the box, Wycombe are very good at what they do but we stood up to it brilliantly.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Hartlepool United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor