Hartlepool United interim manager explains Jamie Sterry and Ben Killip absence from FA Cup tie against Wycombe Wanderers

Jamie Sterry and Ben Killip were once again rested, as they had been in the previous two matches for Pools.

Despite a quadricep issue, Killip had still been named on the bench while Jonathan Mitchell started in between the sticks.

Interim manager Antony Sweeney was able to name a nine person bench but chose teenager Patrick Boyes over Killip as Pools’ substitute goalkeeping option.

Sterry returned to full training ahead of the match and was in contention to feature when Sweeney spoke at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.

But the Pools caretaker made the decision not to risk the right-back with the hope of having him back involved for the upcoming League Two match against Newport County on Friday.

"[Killip and Sterry] are two minor things,” Sweeney said. “Jamie joined in training on Thursday and we had planned to include him in the matchday squad on Saturday but he wasn’t quite 100-per-cent and there was no point in risking him.

"Jamie is an important player for us and yes the FA Cup is a vitally important competition for us but it’s not one where we want to put the long term health of the players at risk for.

"Ben is a minor injury and another one where if, and hopefully we have this problem, but if it was the FA Cup final, he’d have declared himself fit but in the first round we’re not going to risk it.”

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