Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor previews 'important' Easter double header against Dagenham & Redbridge and Boreham Wood as play-off rivals Wrexham face Notts County and Torquay United

Pools host Dagenham & Redbridge at Victoria Park on Good Friday (1pm kick-off) before an Easter Monday trip to Boreham Wood (3pm kick-off).

Hartlepool beat the Daggers 1-0 in East London last Tuesday with manager Dave Challinor hoping to use the quick turnaround for the reverse fixture to his side’s advantage as they look to make it 12 games unbeaten in the National League.

"It’s probably a help because we won the last game, but it was close,” said the Hartlepool manager.

“If it was 5-0 it would be more of a hindrance for them but we haven’t had to do much work on each other since.

"Both of us have been consistent and it will be another close game. It’s a tough game and you look at the results they’ve had, they beat Torquay so they’re in a good place, but so are we.

“We’ve had a full week to focus on opposition and the benefit alongside that is we’re up against an opponent that we faced only 10 days ago so we’ve been able to focus on the areas we want to.

“The week has been about giving the players a bit of a break physically and mentally as well so we can focus on what more we need to do on the pitch.”

Hartlepool currently sit second in the National League table and can’t move up or down regardless of their result against The Daggers.

But things could look a lot different come Monday with play-off challengers Wrexham (5th) facing both Notts County (6th) and Torquay United (3rd).

“We’re positive having won the last game against them,” Challinor added.

“They’ll want to get their own back but it’s fresh in our minds and sometimes it can be a difficult thing because it doesn’t happen very often especially in the league. It was a close game down there and I expect the same at The Vic.

"It’s an important weekend where we play two important games within a short space of time while teams at the top play each other over the course of the weekend. The table could look a whole lot different come Monday evening.”

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Hartlepool United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor