Former Hartlepool United trio target reunion as Robbie Savage issues Forest Green Rovers rallying call
A number of former Hartlepool United players can move a step closer towards promotion into the National League on Tuesday night.
Former Hartlepool United trio Carl Magnay, Martin Smith and Dan Dodds will hope to take a step closer towards securing a reunion with their old club on Tuesday night.
Magnay made over a century of appearances during a four-year stay at Victoria Park before bringing down the curtain on his playing career with spells at Spennymoor Town and Gateshead before moving into coaching and management with the latter in 2022. The 37-year-old is now assistant manager at National League North title contenders South Shields and they face a big test on Tuesday when they host Macclesfield at their 1st Cloud Arena home.
Dodds and Smith will both be in the Mariners squad for the game as their side look to claim a win that could take them to the top of the National League North table ahead of the final two games of the season. The meeting with the Silkmen will represent South Shields’ game in hand on current leaders AFC Fylde and a two-goal would lift them to the summit ahead of Saturday’s home game with Bedford Town. Both title contenders face away days on the final day of the season as the Mariners travel to Kidderminster Harriers and Fylde head to Merthyr Town - but South Shields manager Ian Watson has refused to look beyond what is immediately ahead of them.
He said: “All we can do is focus on what is right ahead of us and that is Macclesfield. If you start thinking about anything else, it’s just wasted energy. I’m not looking at the league table and I know that’s crazy because we are at the business end and it’s important we get wins but I can’t analyse it. I just analyse how we have played, where we can get better and what we need to do to get a win in our next game.”
Savage issues rallying call to Forest Green ahead of Pools visit
Forest Green Rovers will provide the opposition for Hartlepool United’s penultimate home game of a long and challenging season this weekend. Robbie Savage’s side arrive at the Prestige Group Stadium on the back of securing their place in the National League play-offs with a comfortable win at Braintree Town and the former Blackburn Rovers and Wales midfielder has already laid down the gauntlet to his players as they look for one final push towards earning a return to the EFL.
He told Gloucestershire Live: “That’s six wins in nine, so I’m pleased. Some good performances, I thought D’Mani was great up top, good to get Ricardo on, Jordy got minutes, Cian Harries came on and did well. In four weeks, we could be league players, that’s the goal, what an opportunity, let's grasp it, let's give everything on and off the pitch now to make sure we’re ready, and we give it our best because anybody can beat anybody in the play-offs.”
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