Simon Grayson expecting a "different type of game" as Hartlepool United prepare to travel to Altrincham
Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson is expecting a "different type of game" when his side travel to Altrincham on Tuesday evening.
The National League is notorious for its relentless schedule and Pools are set for a busy run of fixtures, with Grayson's side due to play six matches in 18 days. Following two bruising encounters against Yeovil and Braintree, Pools can expect a different sort of test when they take on an Altrincham side who finished ninth last season in midweek. Phil Parkinson, who has been in charge of the Robins since 2017, making him the club's longest-serving manager in a single spell in Alty's history, is renowned for setting his teams up to play expansive, attractive and attacking football.
Altrincham endured a challenging summer as many of their star performers were poached by rivals; Regan Linney, who scored 24 goals in 43 games last season, signed for Carlisle, Alex Newby, who provided 15 goals and 15 assists during an impressive campaign, left to join York while popular winger Justin Amaluzor completed a move to Grimsby. Nonetheless, the Robins have been hard at work in a bid to bolster their depleted squad and have welcomed a whole host of new faces over the summer, including Billy Sass-Davies, who impressed for Pools last term, Boston's Keaton Ward, Sheffield Wednesday's under-21 captain Sam Reed as well as strikers Jimmy Knowles and James Gale. Pools fans can also look forward to seeing a familiar face in Tom Crawford, who has been a regular in the Altrincham's midfield since leaving Victoria Park in the summer of 2024.
"I watched Altrincham play Rochdale at dinnertime when it was on the TV," Grayson told The Red Radio.
"Our preparations probably started the other day, we're always thinking about what we need to do for the next game because of the quick turnaround. I think it will be a different type of game, but that's what happens in football and this league where you have to deal with all sorts of different situations."