Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Hartlepool United.
The Opposition
Hartlepool United are currently in a state of flux, having parted ways with yet another Head Coach just a few months after his arrival.
Simon Grayson has proved to be the next man in line to be shown the exit door at the Prestige Group Stadium, and adds to another period of uncertainty that has seen long-serving captain Nicky Featherstone take on the managerial responsibilities on a temporary basis after Grayson won four of his opening 14 games of the season, departing with Hartlepool 12th in the National League table.
As such, this means Grayson’s permanent successor will be the sixth different man to lead them following their relegation from League Two in 2023, following in the footsteps of John Askey, Kevin Phillips, Darrell Sarll, Lennie Lawrence and Anthony Limbrick, prior to Grayson’s return to England after taking on coaching roles in India and Nepal.
Despite that, there are still has a number of talented players within the dressing room at Victoria Park, and Featherstone now has the task of leading his teammates from the dugout after making the step up from captain and ever present in the team, to Player-Coach, to Player-Manager, having made his 600th career appearance back in December last year.
He has been joined in midfield by Nathan Sheron, while Tom Parkes and Luke Waterfall were both stalwarts in defence last season, and were flanked by the flying David Ferguson who played all but one game throughout the campaign prior to his exit to Gateshead this summer. Furthermore, reliable National League frontman Mani Dieseruvwe continued his superb run of form last term in front of goal with 16 goals, alongside the likes of Luke Charman (4) and Gary Madine (7), the latter having signed for the club in June 2024 after last playing in the Championship with Blackpool.
The hope will have been for Charman and Madine to now increase their production to fill the gap left by Dieseruvwe though, who departed County Durham to join Rochdale AFC at the start of July, alongside new recruit Alex Reid who joined from Oldham Athletic following a successful loan spell at Wealdstone, and Reid is currently the club’s top scorer with three goals.
Despite this, Hartlepool have struggled in their former star man’s absence, with only Brackley Town scoring less goals this season than the Pools, and they will be hoping for a resurgence under whoever takes on the permanent vacancy, with Featherstone kicking things off by being eliminated from the FA Cup at the hands of Gainsborough Trinity, via a replay, and will be looking to end a five-game winless run sooner rather than later.
The Manager
Nicky Featherstone has taken on the managerial duties on an interim basis following Simon Grayson’s dismissal, taking on the position of Interim Player-Manager.
A product of the Hull City academy, Featherstone played a handful of times for the Tigers before gaining experience on loan at North Ferriby United, Grimsby Town and Hereford United, making the move to the latter permanent in 2011.
He subsequently went on to feature over 50 times for the Bulls, before further stints at Walsall, Scunthorpe United and Harrogate Town preceded his move to Hartlepool in 2014, where he has remained ever since. He was notably part of the Pools team that produced a great escape in 2015 to avoid relegation from League Two, and continued to play an integral role in midfield during the coming years.
The midfielder marked seven years at the club with promotion from the National League via the play-offs in 2021, going up alongside Sutton, and entered his 11th season in County Durham ahead of 2014/25, in which he signed a dual contract to become a player-coach under Darren Sarll in May 2024.
This role has now flourished into him becoming the main man at the wheel, with Featherstone, aided by Elliott Dickman and Adam Smith, sitting in the hotseat at Victoria Park for an interim period.
Photo Credit: Hartlepool United Football Club
One to Watch
Alex Reid
A powerful centre-forward, Alex Reid joined Hartlepool United on a permanent deal in July 2025 after a prolific spell in non-league, bringing over 200 National League appearances and a reputation as a proven goal scorer to the club.
Hailing from Birmingham, Reid came through the youth systems at Aston Villa and Walsall before embarking on a brief period overseas, joining Swedish side Ånge IF in 2014 on a placement programme, before returning to England a year later.
He subsequently joined Solihull Moors and followed it up with a move to Rushall Olympics, where he sparked the beginning of a career which combined plenty of Football League experience with an extensive and successful run across the National League and its feeder divisions.
Reid’s senior path has included early spells at Step Three and Four before he earned moves into the Football League with Fleetwood Town, followed by numerous loan and permanent spells that shaped his reputation including Wrexham, Stevenage, Ebbsfleet United, Stockport County and Oldham Athletic, before enjoying a productive loan with Wealdstone last season, scoring 16 goals in 30 league games.
As a result, despite being deemed surplus to requirements after the Latics promotion back to League Two, Reid had earned enough plaudits last term to remain a key member of a National League team, and saw him join Hartlepool in the summer, where he has so far scored three times, more than anyone else at the Prestige Group Stadium.
Photo Credit: Hartlepool United Football Club
Recent Form
Hartlepool United 1-3 Gainsborough Trinity
Gainsborough Trinity 1-1 Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United 1–2 York City
Carlisle United 3–1 Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United 1-1 Tamworth
Gateshead 0-1 Hartlepool United
Last Time Out
Nicky Featherstone’s first game as interim manager ended in a 3-1 defeat at the Prestige Group Stadium as Hartlepool United exited the FA Cup to Gainsborough Trinity
First-half strikes from Sisa Tuntulwana and Fraser Preston gave Trinity an early advantage, before Preston found his second with a long-range free kick to seal victory for the visitors.
Trinity took the lead after 17 minutes, when Tuntulwana completed a fantastic solo run and fired past the reach of George Evans from 20 yards out, before doubling their advantahe with five minutes to go until half time, with Preston cutting inside and curling a ball past Evans and into the top left corner.
It then went from bad to worse for the Pools just three minutes after the break, as the National League North side added a third with Preston’s second of the evening, drilling a long-range free kick into the back of the net.
In the dying stages of the game, the Pools found a consolation when a long ball over the top from Besart Topallaj found Luke Charman’s run behind the defence as he slotted home past David Robson, though this wasn’t enough to prevent Featherstone’s side from being eliminated from the FA Cup at the Fourth Qualifying Round.
Photo Credit: Hartlepool United Football Club
