Hartlepool United preparing for revenge against Weymouth with ‘one eye on the play-offs’

The Terras may sit 18th in the National League table with one win in their last six games but they did prove frustrating opposition for Pools when the sides last met back in January.

A Josh McQuoid header proved to be the difference at The Bob Lucas Stadium as Weymouth secured a 1-0 win to end Hartlepool’s four game winning streak.

It’s a defeat manager Dave Challinor is looking to put right this weekend.

"It's in my mind, you want to right any wrongs as you do when you lose previously to any team,” he said.

"That was a game where nothing went for us on the day when we went down there and we may well have been there until now trying to score!

"Hopefully that's a different scenario on Saturday and the game has extra importance with supporters being in the ground so hopefully there’s a great atmosphere and the players look forward to being in that environment.”

Following Saturday’s match, Pools will then host a play-off match at Victoria Park in June.

“We have to have one eye on the play-offs and that's been the case for the past three or four weeks,” Challinor added.

"That doesn't detract from the fact we want to try and win the game on Saturday. There are always risks involved and we're not in a position where we can leave players out and field a whole different team in order to try and wrap people in cotton wool.

"We’ll play players at the weekend and touchwood, nothing results in them having to miss any play-off games further down the line.

"Not only is it high pressure in terms of the games but it also comes on the back of what has been a really tough, long season where players, due to the fragmented pre-season last summer, players have been almost been training and playing football for a year now without a break so they probably are looking forward to having a break.

"There won’t be much of a break but there would be no better break than knowing you’ve had a successful season with something palpable at the end of it.”

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