Could Hartlepool United face further Friday night fixtures following Crawley Town success?

The fixture with the West Sussex side was originally scheduled for Saturday, December 10 but was brought forward to Friday evening in anticipation of a potential clash with England’s World Cup quarter-final fixture.

“As per the EFL suggestion, and request from the home side, the fixture has been changed to avoid any potential clashes with England World Cup games,” a club statement had read on the fixture change.

As things turned out, the decision allowed supporters of both teams to be free for Saturday’s crunch World Cup tie as the Three Lions would bow out of the competition in a spirited 2-1 defeat against holders France.

But could Friday night fixtures become more regular for Hartlepool?

Last season saw a selection of fixtures changed to a Friday evening including both home and away games with Newport County, while this season saw the trip to Mansfield Town switched to a Friday - a fixture which would end in a 2-2 draw.

Additionally, there have been some fixtures brought forward to an earlier kick-off time on a Saturday, including both games with Bradford City and the recent trip to Harrogate Town.

But while the club are committed to retaining their traditional Saturday 3pm kick-off slot, speaking at the recent fan forum event in October, chief operating officer Stephen Hobin admitted Friday night fixtures, particularly at home, can be a lucrative proposition for the club.

“Certainly as a home team, Friday nights are very lucrative. We don’t mind the odd Friday night game,” said Hobin.

“But when you’re away, certainly when you’re a long way away, like Crawley for example, it’s very difficult. It’s very difficult for our fans to attend the game.

“How many fans would we have taken to Crawley? I’m not quite sure. We swell the numbers down there with our fantastic South East contingent who tend to make up the numbers for us but people in Hartlepool, who might have to spend the day working, it’s more problematic.

“It’s definitely favourable to have a Friday night at home. I think it goes against you when you’re away.”

The Friday night fixtures were one of a number of topics discussed at the event which also considered suggestions of teams bringing 3pm fixtures forward to 1pm over the winter months so as to save on energy costs. It’s something which has been trialled by a select few EFL clubs, including Mansfield recently, but was something Hobin suggests Hartlepool voted against.

“It’s something we voted against as a collective EFL member club,” said Hobin.

“There’s a lot of people who can’t make 1 o'clock kick-offs. You think about your own circumstances in Hartlepool with kids football on Saturday mornings and people work Saturday mornings. So to get to a football ground for 1 o'clock is difficult.

“To do that would be unfair on the fans and also revenue wise, and attendances in the lower leagues, they will be down. So we voted against it.”