‘It has to happen’ – Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor looks ahead to FC Halifax Town trip following three postponements at The Shay

The match at The Shay has been called off three times due to a frozen pitch so far this year.

It’s something that has caused plenty of animosity and tension between Hartlepool and Halifax supporters on social media. And it undoubtedly adds a little extra spice ahead of the fixture, should it finally go ahead.

Temperatures in Halifax hovered just above freezing throughout the night but are expected to get slightly warmer as the day progresses.

And Pools boss Dave Challinor had just one thing on his mind when previewing the match as he said: “It must happen, it must happen, it must happen."

On Halifax’s recent run of form, he added: "It shows the strange nature of this league when they got beat by Barnet then went to Torquay United and won.

"It is what it is and if we produce the type of performance we showed at Wrexham on Tuesday night then we’ll win most games.

"We’ll look at Halifax and go there with a plan to stamp our authority on the game to try and win. If we can’t win then a point is better than nothing.”

The match will be one of three consecutive away matches for Pools as they search for their first win on the road in 2021.

Challinor's side make the long journey to Torquay on Saturday before travelling to Altrincham next Tuesday.

“They’re all tests in terms of where we’re at,” the Pools boss continued. “Our previous matches have been against teams in and around the play-offs with Wrexham and Eastleigh.

"It’s a huge test but we’ve done enough to prove that we are where we are in the league on merit and we’re a decent side. Our performances away from home have deserved more points than we’ve got but we just haven’t got on the right side of results.

"They’re tough places to go but they don’t hold massive fear for us or change what we’re going to do. If we pick up points away and it coincides with us winning games at home then it’s a formula to keep us challenging at the top of the table.”

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