Hartlepool United preparing to battle Storm Eunice as well as Sutton United at the Suit Direct Stadium

Hartlepool United may have to battle the elements when they host Sutton United at the Suit Direct Stadium.
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Graeme Lee’s side welcome promotion chasing Sutton to home soil looking to seal a fourth straight win but may well be up against it both on and off the field as Storm Eunice continues to batter the country.

While the brunt of the storm, at the moment, appears to be impacting the South of the nation, Pools boss Lee admits his side will have to be prepared to deal with any adverse weather conditions which may come their way and not use it as an excuse.

“We know what’s coming,” said Lee.

Graeme Lee is preparing his side for Sutton United test (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)Graeme Lee is preparing his side for Sutton United test (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)
Graeme Lee is preparing his side for Sutton United test (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)
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“Hopefully it might have settled down by kick-off time but it’s going to be hard.

“It’s going to be poor conditions for both teams and it’s about who can handle it really and adapt to what’s going to happen.

“Mistakes will happen because conditions will affect things. It’s just about making sure we’re anticipating things and we’re in the right position and working for each other like we have been in recent games.

“It’s never nice when winds affect games so we’ll see what comes but we can’t use any excuses. We’ve got to go out there and do whatever we can and adapt to the conditions.”

Hartlepool United will be looking for a fourth straight win on home soil in all competitions when they face Sutton United. (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)Hartlepool United will be looking for a fourth straight win on home soil in all competitions when they face Sutton United. (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)
Hartlepool United will be looking for a fourth straight win on home soil in all competitions when they face Sutton United. (Credit: Will Matthews | MI News)
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If the potential weather conditions weren’t enough for Pools, Lee revealed he may be forced into one or two changes as a gruelling fixture schedule begins to take its toll on his squad.

The Pools boss declared there were some niggles and an illness within his squad as they look to get the better of a side who tend to have their number when it comes to recent meetings.

Pools have won just one of their nine meetings with the U’s but Lee insists he is not focused on the past.

“I try not to mention it really. I’m not looking at what’s happened previously in the games,” said Lee.

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“We’re looking at what we’re going to do and how we’re going to impact this game.

“They came up last season and are having a fantastic season and the games I’ve watched them play you can see why. They’ve got some exciting players.

“We’ve got to be on our game like we have every game. And when we play to our strengths we can cause any team problems.

“We should be confident enough. But we can’t sit back and think we’ve cracked it because we’ve kept two clean sheets in a row.

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“We've got to keep going, knowing it’s another challenge and if we do we’ll give ourselves a fighting chance of winning games.”

Matt Gray’s side are enjoying a memorable debut season in the Football League as they currently occupy one of the League Two play-off spots, just three points from an automatic promotion place.

And Lee admits he is not surprised by how well last year’s National League champions are performing this season.

“I’m not surprised. The National League is a hell of a league to get out of. So any team who progresses out of that league is going to be competitive.

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“The nucleus of their squad is strong, the team doesn’t change a hell of a lot. They’re well drilled in what they do. Credit to them.”

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