Pools boss Kevin Phillips will have to perform a delicate balancing act as he attempts to start righting the wrongs of the midweek mauling.
On the one hand, he has to reinforce the message that Tuesday’s display was nowhere near acceptable while also reminding his players that he still retains faith in them.
In truth, even if Pools were comfortably ensconced in mid-table and Phillips was looking to prove a point, injuries to an already fairly thin squad means the boss has been left with limited options and so wholesale changes are off the table.
Phillips, along with Lennie Lawrence and Anthony Sweeney, will need to galvanise the players available to him and challenge them to respond to the disappointment of the derby day drubbing.
That said, the boss has already hinted he's set to return to a back four after the change in shape, which was an attempt to match and neutralise Gateshead, backfired with dramatic consequences.
So, Phillips will likely be looking to hand opportunities to one or two players who have been on the fringes but, in the main, expect him to stick with the majority of the side that suffered at the hands of the Heed in midweek.
And if those players can pick up a result against a Halifax team who have won seven of their last eight, playing themselves into play-off contention in the process, then it will be the first step on the road to putting the club’s worst result in almost three decades behind them.
With that in mind, here’s how Pools could line up.
In truth, even if Pools were comfortably ensconced in mid-table and Phillips was looking to prove a point, injuries to an already fairly thin squad means the boss has been left with limited options and so wholesale changes are off the table.
![It could be a big day for the midfielder, who must be a certainty to return to the side. Supporters haven't seen the best of him in recent weeks but he will be desperate to prove a point after being left out in midweek.](https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjhlMTE2MzAzLTQxZGQtNDcyZS04Yzc4LTI2NjkxMjIzNjdkNjphMGM1Y2FhNy1iMjNjLTQ1ZTktOWVlZS0yMjM5Y2FmOGRlY2U=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
9. Attacking-midfield: Callum Cooke
It could be a big day for the midfielder, who must be a certainty to return to the side. Supporters haven't seen the best of him in recent weeks but he will be desperate to prove a point after being left out in midweek. Photo: Frank Reid
![Stephenson's inclusion would be a crowd pleaser and something of a concession to frustrated sections of supporters. The 18-year-old featured on the flank after coming on against Eastleigh and would add pace to the side, something Phillips has often said his team are lacking.](https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOjU3OWEyYTdhLWVjZjQtNGM0ZC05Y2NlLWQ2YjM5YjRkN2MyNToyMjg4MjRhZC1jMGY0LTRmNjMtYTM4OC0zNWQ2YzgxYTU3NTI=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
10. Right-midfield: Louis Stephenson
Stephenson's inclusion would be a crowd pleaser and something of a concession to frustrated sections of supporters. The 18-year-old featured on the flank after coming on against Eastleigh and would add pace to the side, something Phillips has often said his team are lacking. Photo: Mark Fletcher
![Without a goal in his last five games, Dieseruvwe would love to end a rare barren spell by finding the target against his former club. While he might have been well below his best in midweek, he wasn't helped by a lack of service and a surfeit of support. Pools need to make the most of their talisman with balls into the box and bodies running beyond him.](https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/webimg/b25lY21zOmFjMGJlYjA0LWFkNGEtNDdiYS04MGNlLTlmYzY1NjhhZTY0ZDo2N2M3Nzc1OC0zN2E2LTQ2MzQtYWYxYS1jZjU0Y2U5OTA1OTU=.jpg?crop=3:2&width=640)
11. Striker: Mani Dieseruvwe
Without a goal in his last five games, Dieseruvwe would love to end a rare barren spell by finding the target against his former club. While he might have been well below his best in midweek, he wasn't helped by a lack of service and a surfeit of support. Pools need to make the most of their talisman with balls into the box and bodies running beyond him. Photo: Mark Fletcher