Get the lowdown on our next opponents: Hartlepool United.
The Opposition
Hartlepool United have entered a brand new era, with controversial owner Raj Singh finally stepping down from his role at the Prestige Group Stadium after seven years when he sold the club to American businessman Landon Smith.
The County Durham-based side have already been hard at work to pick up the pieces from a club who had suffered a host of off-the-pitch issues, marking a significant new chapter in the club’s history built around their long-term vision of returning to EFL, as well as strengthening the club’s pathway model, boosting commercial growth, and enhancing community and supporter engagement.
In an open letter to supporters, Smith emphasised a thoughtful and respectful approach to running the club, focusing on sustainable progress on and off the pitch rather than radical overnight changes. He has stated his backing for the current manager and team in the short term, with an eye on a strong finish this National League season.
Furthermore, the Pools have swiftly moved in the transfer market to strengthen their squad, bringing in Gavan Holohan (Crawley Town), Tyrese Sinclair (York City) and Nick Hayes (Southend United) following the takeover, and has added to a number of important acquisitions last summer, with Maxim Koughan, Matty Daly, Cameron John, Danny Johnson, Alex Reid and Jay Benn all among Hartlepool’s top appearance makers this term.
Reid in particular has been a potent member of the frontline with seven goals this season, though goalscoring has in all been a relatively inconsistent part of their game so far, with Adam Campbell (4), Vadaine Oliver (4), Jermaine Francis (3), Luke Charman (3) and Daly (3) the next highest scorers, with Sinclair swiftly adding to his tally since moving to County Durham. Indeed, only eight teams have scored less goals than the Pools, and has seen them rely on their quality in defence to grind out points, with only three teams conceding less, those three being the top two in Rochdale and York City along with Southend United.
As such, the Pools look to be in a very different position to the one that dismissed Simon Grayson after just 14 league games. Club legend Nicky Featherstone guided them to a seven-game unbeaten run in the league as interim boss and led to him being rewarded with the permanent job, with the Monkey Hangers currently sitting ninth in the National League, just two points off the play-off spots, and looking very much on course for a shot at promotion should they seal a place in the top seven come May.
The Manager
Nicky Featherstone
Nicky Featherstone took on the managerial duties on an initial interim basis following Simon Grayson’s dismissal, taking on the position of Interim Player-Manager, before bringing the curtains down on a nearly two-decade long career as a player in order to take on the role permanently.
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, during which he guided the club to a seven-game unbeaten run in the league, and he was subsequently rewarded for his efforts by being appointed permanent manager in December.
One to Watch
Tyrese Sinclair
Tyrese Sinclair is Hartlepool’s in-form man at the moment, having scored three goals already since signing on loan from York City.
While he hails from Kingston-upon-Thames, just a half-an-hour drive from Sutton, Sinclair began his career up north in the Blackburn Rovers academy, though he rose into professional football with Mansfield Town, joining the Stags in 2017 following his release from Ewood Park.
He displayed his clear promise by being named as their 2018/19 youth Player of the Year before turning professional the following summer, and led to his senior debut two months later in a Football League Trophy game against Everton U21s.
Sinclair subsequently spent time on loan at Radcliffe, Basford United and Scunthorpe United before joining Rochdale AFC in 2022, spending two years at the Crown Oil Arena after a successful trial, and he went on to score 13 goals in 64 games before a successful loan at Altrincham in 2023 saw him score five in 11 games.
This was followed by a switch to York, where he featured frequently throughout the 2024/25 campaign, and in total has made 59 appearances for the Minstermen including 47 last term. He has spent the bulk of this season out on loan though, starting out at Solihull Moors, before making the switch to Hartlepool following the conclusion of that deal in January, and has notched three goals in four games already.
Recent Form
Hartlepool United 3-1 Carlisle United
Hartlepool United 4-3 Solihull Moors
Tamworth 1-1 Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United 0-3 Aldershot Town
Boreham Wood 2-1 Hartlepool United
Hartlepool United 7-1 Tamworth
Last Time Out
A Calvin Okike goal with his first touch in professional football sealed the points for Hartlepool United in an emphatic 3-1 win against high-flying Carlisle United at the Prestige Group Stadium in the Enterprise National League.
Tyrese Sinclair’s goal early in the first half placed Pools in the ascendancy with a sensational solo run to make it three goals in the last two games. An audacious first touch over Jack Ellis set the winger on his way from the halfway line, who then brushed past Bevis Mugabi in the box before tucking his effort into the right corner from a tight angle.
Alex Reid doubled the lead straight after the break, making it two goals in as many games only a minute into the second half when Matty Daly guided the ball into the path of the striker, who rifled home into the bottom-left corner on the half-volley.
Following Harvey MacAdam’s red card at the hour mark, receiving a second yellow card for a foul on Sinclair, Okike, only 15 seconds after coming on for his Pools and professional debut, made it three for the hosts, firing home on the rebound of Sam Folarin’s powerful strike with his first touch of the match.
Carlisle responded minutes later as Morgan Feeney’s neat flick slipped through Georgie Kelly, who slotted home into the bottom left corner from inside the box, though this proved to be too little, too late for the Cumbrians, who fell to defeat in County Durham.
