Dave Challinor discusses Hartlepool United's 2020-21 National League fixture schedule as he prepares to start season from the stands

Pools are set to host Aldershot Town at Victoria Park on October 3 in what will be the first of eight matches that month.

A Tuesday night trip to Chesterfield is Hartlepool’s only mid-week away fixture in October with the initial schedule appearing less daunting than first feared given the delayed start.

Although Challinor will be starting the season in the stands after being charged with improper conduct by the FA over the summer, the Hartlepool manager is pleased to see some structure in place for the upcoming campaign.

“Even in a normal year, the fixtures coming out gives a little bit of context to what you’re doing,” he said.

“Although plans are in place in terms of pre-season, you can now plan for at least the first couple of months of the league season.

"Whether that’s booking hotels, planning overnight stays, planning training schedules, planning potential rest days and how you might work the weeks.

"It gives us the ability to put a little bit more detail into what we’re doing.”

Pools will see themselves playing at Victoria Park on the opening and final days of the season as well as Boxing Day for the first time in the National League.

While potential cup progressions and postponements always threaten to disrupt the already busy fixture schedule, Challinor is content with how the season is shaping up.

“The big things that jump out are, our first game is at home which is great,” he told BBC Radio Tees Sport.

“Then we follow that up with a pretty local-ish Tuesday night game [at Chesterfield]. There was always going to be lots of games in the first couple of months of the season so it’s no surprise.

"The way the calendar is currently – yes we’ll have to take into context the FA Cup and FA Trophy and potential cancellations if there’s a harsh winter – but it looks a pretty normal sort of season schedule really obviously with it starting a couple of months later and running later.”

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