Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor hoping to add Victoria Park friendly to pre-season schedule

Pools will open their pre-season schedule against Newcastle United under-23s at Darsley Park on Monday.

They will then face Spennymoor Town on September 12 and Blyth Spartans on September 19 before completing their North East tour at Gateshead on September 26. All matches will take place behind closed doors due to coronavirus restrictions.

And Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor is hoping to add two more friendlies to the schedule, including a previously unplanned game at Victoria Park.

“Planning friendlies is hard at the moment because some clubs don’t have safety certificates for their ground and need to know the protocols to follow to cover themselves,” Challinor told The Mail.

“We’ve got the four games in place but we’re flexible and hoping to put another couple in there to take it to six.

"I’ve had a chat with Martin [Jesper, acting executive director] around how a game at home could work and whether we can fit one of them in just to get a feel of how things will work logistically on a matchday."

With many new restrictions in place to allow National League football to return safely on October 3, Challinor wants to use pre-season to have something of a ‘dress rehearsal’ match at The Vic to ensure things go as seamlessly as possible when competitive football returns.

“All of the games will be behind closed doors so we’re never going to make any money from them but we can still benefit if we have a home game as a sort of practice run for when the season starts in October,” added the Pools boss.

“It will help in terms of how the stadium will run and operate because it’s obviously going to be very different from last year.

"It’s going to have restrictions on changing rooms, one way systems, red zones and things like that so what you don’t want is a circus on the first game of the season having had no dress rehearsal of what it will be like.

"I want the players are fully focused on getting there and playing rather than having to worry about anything else come October 3.”

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