Lennie Lawrence: Hartlepool United boss challenges Pools to come through testing festive period in touch with play-off places
Hartlepool United manager Lennie Lawrence is hoping a more relaxed Christmas schedule will help his side maintain their play-off push.
Pools will play on Boxing Day, New Year's Day and then January 11 over the festive period.
Lawrence's team were faced with the prospect of a long trip to South London to take on Sutton in the FA Trophy on January 4, but their penalty shootout defeat to cup specialists Tamworth means Pools will instead begin 2025 with a week off.
And Pools will need to make the most of the chance to rest and recuperate as the fixture computer has handed them a challenging run of games.
Lawrence and his side make the short trip to Gateshead on Boxing Day, host Oldham on New Year's Day and travel to Barnet on January 11.
With all three sides in contention for automatic promotion, Pools will have their work cut out if they're to maintain their play-off charge.
Pools have lost just one of their nine National League matches under Lawrence to move within touching distance of the top seven but the close and competitive nature of the division means a couple of bad results could send them tumbling down the table.
The good news is that if Pools can come through their next three games relatively unscathed, the fixtures start to look a lot more favourable.
Lawrence's side take on Tamworth, Wealdstone, Woking, Braintree, and Maidenhead between January 14 and February 15; three of those teams are in the relegation zone, while none are higher than 16th.
The veteran boss, who turned 77 earlier this month and has transformed his side's faltering fortunes since returning to the dugout, has challenged his players to remain in striking distance of the play-offs as Pools prepare for a testing festive period.
"It's a strange one, we play one less game than they do in the Football League over Christmas," he said.
"Yet for some reason in August, they ask us to play on Saturday and then bank holiday Monday, I've never been able to work that out from a player welfare point of view.
"Had we been in the Trophy, we would have had to go to Sutton three days after we'd played on New Year's Day and a week before we went to Barnet, that would have been hard.
"We've got no arguments or excuses about having too many games in too short a period of time, they're nicely spaced.
"We've got to make sure that every time we go out there against really quality opposition, we are prepped and ready to go.
"If we are, then we can really do something.
"If we come out of that little period no worse off than we are now, then I'll be happy with that."