Hartlepool United friendly details as Morpeth Town sells out in two minutes with two more matches set to be announced

The match at Craik Park (7pm kick-off), will see Dave Challinor’s side face the Northern Premier League Premier Division side in their second pre-season friendly.

It will be Pools’ first match in front of a crowd since the 1-1 draw at Sutton United on March 14 as the coronavirus pandemic led to the shutdown of the 2019-20 season.

Only 50 away tickets were allocated for Friday’s match and those were snapped up in the space of two minutes as Morpeth Town’s website crashed as a result of the online demmand.

Last Monday, Pools opened their pre-season friendly schedule with a 1-1 behind closed doors draw against Newcastle United under-23s at Little Benton Academy.

Friday’s match is set to be Hartlepool’s only friendly match not to be played behind closed doors due to safety concerns.

Challinor’s men were set to travel to Spenymoor Town on Saturday, September 12 but that match has since been cancelled as Spennymoor were unable to host the game as planned.

An alternative match is being arranged to take place on the same date away to another non-league side with more details expected later this week.

After that, Pools are scheduled to travel to Croft Park to face National League North side Blyth Spartans on Saturday, September 19 (3pm kick-off).

They are set to wrap up their pre-season friendly schedule at the International Stadium against Gateshead on Saturday, September 26 (1pm kick-off), prior to the start of the National League season on October 3.

National League fixtures are set to be announced on Tuesday, September 8 at 1pm.

Challinor is hoping to play six friendly matches, including one at Victoria Park, meaning two more games are still to be confirmed.

As mentioned, Pools are expected to announce a friendly to take place this Saturday while they are also hoping to confirm a match at Victoria Park for the first time in over half-a-year on Friday, September 25 (kick-off times and opponents to be confirmed).

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