Dave Challinor's response to whether overnight stays need to be reassessed for Hartlepool United in the National League

With matches played behind closed doors and limited revenue being generated, National League clubs have been keeping a close eye on their finances.

Hartlepool United have been operating with a significantly reduced budget and a skeleton staff set-up behind the scenes yet manager Dave Challinor seems to have assembled a competitive squad of players who have made an unbeaten start to the new season.

But with Saturday’s postponed match at Barnet costing in the region of £5,000 due to the overnight stay and travel, Pools will be keen to avoid a repeat occurrence.

The uncertainty surrounding fixtures due to the coronavirus pandemic could lead to more scrutiny over which away trips are deemed necessary for overnight stays in order to protect the club's finances.

But with Pools travelling further than any other side in the division with 14 overnight stays already planned over the course of the campaign, Challinor feels any reassessment should be focused on club communication.

"I don't think we need to rethink [overnight stays],” he told The Mail.

"It's about communication between clubs that needs to improve. We can plan effectively as long as we know what's going on and there's some transparency over whether a game could be in doubt.

“If we were told on Tuesday that a Barnet player is getting tested for coronavirus then we make a judgement call whether to travel on Friday or not and potentially save the money. Things like this happen but we just need a bit more transparency.”

With a tight fixture schedule and a small squad, the Hartlepool boss will be keen for the club to do whatever they can to help the team prepare effectively.

The physical and mental benefits of overnight stays are obvious, but Pools may now be reluctant to do so when the Barnet match is rearranged as a midweek fixture.

"League rules say we have to rearrange a game within 40 days so we’ll have to look at our schedule and see where we can fit the game in,” Challinor added.

“But with FA Cup games coming up and the FA Trophy after that, there might not be too many options to choose from.”

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