Hartlepool United set for biggest away following of the season at Salford City as they look for first win on the road

Around 1,000 Poolies are expected to descend on the Peninsula Stadium as Pools search for their first away win of the 2021-22 campaign.

The Pools side has been well backed home and away this season as 619 attended the 3-2 defeat at Barrow back in August and 788 were there to watch the 1-0 loss at Tranmere Rovers last month.

Hartlepool supporters haven’t seen their side win an away league match since the 1-0 victory at Solihull Moors in March 2020 after away supporters were unable to attend matches during last season’s promotion campaign.

Almost 600 days on, manager Dave Challinor is hoping to finally send the travelling fans home happy this weekend.

“[Our away support] is important but we can't and won't rely on the supporters,” he admitted.

“Just because we're bringing 1,000 supporters, it doesn't give us a divine right for it to be set up for us to win.

"We took an awful lot of supporters to Barrow and Oldham and other matches but didn't win.

"What the supporters do is massively appreciated but let's not kid ourselves just because the supporters are doing their job and travelling and supporting the team that it just means things all of a sudden happen for us.

"We've got to make things happen and if we can send 1,000 of them home happy then brilliant and if further down the line we can send 2,000 home happy then even better.”

Pools have the best home record in League Two this season with 16 points from a possible 18 but have the worst away record having picked up just one point on the road out of 15.

"It doesn't matter if there is 1,000 there or 100 there, we want to win the game,” Challinor added.

“The people who have given up their time and money and made the effort to travel to support us and what we're doing, we want to be able to thank them and the easiest way to do that is make sure we do what we can do on the pitch.”

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