Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson reacts to National League fixtures as Pools prepare for long trip to Yeovil
Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson has been reflecting on his side's National League fixtures after they were published last week.
For the second year in a row, Pools will begin their new National League campaign with a long trip to Yeovil on August 9. While Grayson is hoping his side can achieve a similar result - Jack Hunter's venomous strike made the difference as Pools won 1-0 at Huish Park - he'll be hoping for a smoother journey down south after the team bus broke down en route, leaving the squad to do an unconventional pre-match warm-up in a motorway service station.
Indeed, there are plenty of long trips for Pools fans to look forward to as well as a number of big games against local rivals. Pools will make the 368-mile journey to Cornwall to take on National League South champions Truro in March after the Tinners became the first ever Cornish side to achieve promotion to the fifth division under John Askey.
Pools have a big fortnight ahead of them towards the end of September and the beginning of October, with Grayson's side set to travel to rivals Gateshead on Tuesday, September 23 before making the trip to relegated Carlisle on Wednesday, October 4 and hosting title favourites York on Saturday, October 4. Supporters will also be eagerly anticipating a challenging run of games over the festive period, with Pools set to host newly promoted Scunthorpe on Boxing Day before travelling to Rochdale, who will have both Mani Dieseruvwe and Anthony Mancini in their ranks, on December 30.
For now at least, all eyes will be on the opening weeks of the season. Pools have had mixed fortunes since they were relegated back to the National League in 2023, winning four of their first five games in the 2023/24 campaign before a series of poor results saw them slide down the table while picking up seven points from a possible nine under Darren Sarll last term, only for ill-discipline and problems in front of goal to lead to to a similar fall from grace.
On paper, Pools do look to have a relatively favourable beginning to the new campaign, with Braintree, who finished 17th last season, Woking, who were 15th and newly promoted Boreham Wood the first three visitors to Victoria Park. Given all the off-field issues that have plagued Pools in recent months, it feels imperative that Grayson gets off to a positive start as he looks to bring sceptical fans back on side.
"Hopefully we can get the same result as the club got last year," he said.
"It's a long distance one, we'll have plenty of supporters on the road and we'll do our preparation and be ready for the game. At least now the fixtures are out I can plan the schedule and know where we're going to be travelling, where we're going to train on the way down and so on.
"It's an exciting time, and now we know exactly what we need to do. We've got a lot of long trips, but at some point the likes of Truro and Yeovil have to come up to Hartlepool as well."