Join Rich Mennear and Joe Ramage as they preview a new season with Hartlepool United kicking-off their campaign against Barnet this weekend. They also take a look at all the latest transfer news surrounding the club as John Askey finalises his squad ahead of their Vanarama National League campaign.
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00:38 - Hello and welcome to the first Pooley podcast
00:41 views from the Vic of the new season.
00:44 With me Richard Bonnet and our pools right
00:46 off the heart of pool mail.
00:47 Although he's not currently being let in.
00:49 Joe Ramage, welcome Joe, how are you?
00:51 - Yeah, I'm not bad.
00:52 It's been interesting so I'm gonna say the least.
00:54 - Still smiling, lots of spirit.
00:56 Yeah, we won't go into that on here.
01:00 We've set our piece online
01:01 and hopefully it'll be resolved soon enough.
01:03 But yeah, the mail is currently not being allowed
01:06 to cover home games and how to pre-mix.
01:09 We'll see how that pans out,
01:10 but hopefully we'll back in soon.
01:12 Joe is still doing a sterling job covering the club
01:15 and the season kicks off this weekend.
01:18 So we thought we'd bring you a pre-season preview.
01:21 Looking back on the summer transfer business done so far,
01:26 where Joe thinks pools need to strengthen still
01:29 as we head towards the new campaign.
01:32 We'll talk about some of the off field stuff
01:34 and then look ahead to the weekend.
01:36 Should we start just with a big win
01:38 early this week against Sunderland then, Joe?
01:41 What was your take on it?
01:43 The team picked, the way sort of pools approached it
01:46 and the result, which was impressive.
01:49 - Yeah, impressive to say the least.
01:51 I know that it's only pre-season
01:53 and I think this year more so than ever,
01:56 that is a statement that rings true.
01:57 After what we saw last year,
01:59 you know, there was games, performances,
02:01 players who did okay last season
02:04 and then, last pre-season, sorry.
02:06 And then we all know what happened
02:09 once the season got going.
02:10 So you do take it with a little bit of a pinch of salt,
02:13 but I think it's hard to knock what they did
02:16 on Tuesday night.
02:17 It was a good result against a decent Sunderland side.
02:20 I know they changed things around as well,
02:22 but, you know, score five,
02:23 getting a lot of your forward players
02:26 on the score sheet as well.
02:27 You know, you can't really knock that
02:29 and it should have give them a good confidence boost
02:32 going into Saturday against Barnet.
02:33 So, and it was good.
02:34 There was a good crowd there as well,
02:36 which is another thing that I was quite surprised by.
02:38 I know there'll be,
02:39 there will have been a good contingent
02:41 of Sunderland supporters there,
02:42 but it shows you, you know,
02:44 that once we're getting closer to the season
02:45 and the heart of those supporters are,
02:47 you know, they're coming back out
02:48 and they're ready to go and ready to bounce back.
02:49 So it was a good night's work for everyone, really.
02:54 In terms of the team,
02:57 obviously, John Askey started quite strongly
03:00 and then made changes at the break.
03:02 I'm more inclined to think that the Harrogate game
03:05 will have been the one that he'd be more focused on
03:08 in terms of address rehearsal for Saturday.
03:10 You know, I think Tuesday,
03:11 because of the close proximity to one down to Barnet on Saturday,
03:15 he'll have been a little bit wary of injuries and things.
03:18 But, you know, I think, as he said,
03:21 post-match everyone gave a good account of themselves.
03:24 There was no one who really struggled
03:25 and yeah, just a really good night's work all in, I think.
03:29 And so pre-season as a whole seems to have been fairly positive.
03:34 Obviously, when you get relegated from the AFL
03:38 in the National League,
03:39 there's going to naturally be a huge turnover.
03:41 Some big, big players and sort of club stalwarts have left.
03:47 How would you kind of assess pre-season as a whole,
03:48 the kind of players that have left in the business?
03:50 Obviously, there's still more business to be done
03:52 and there may well be further exits as well, I guess.
03:55 That's probably pretty inevitable, you'd have thought,
03:58 especially if bids come in of reasonable value.
04:01 But yeah, overall, Joe, how do you see the summer and pre-season?
04:05 Again, I think it's one of those where you approach it
04:08 with a little bit of trepidation almost,
04:10 just because of last year.
04:12 I think we're all scarred from what happened 12 months ago.
04:15 And, you know, I've not been sort of come across negative about that,
04:19 but it is one that is just going to be naturally
04:22 in the back of everyone's head, you know,
04:23 so you can't get carried away with it.
04:24 But it has been OK. It's been decent.
04:27 There's been some decent results in there,
04:29 some decent performances, as I mentioned there against Sunderland.
04:32 You know, you had your forward men scoring goals,
04:35 which has been a theme throughout,
04:37 I think the two new signings, Emmanuel De Asouria and Chris Wray,
04:40 they've scored a couple of goals and a couple of assists between them,
04:43 which can only help their confidence.
04:45 Anthony Mancini, I mean, you saw the second goal the other night.
04:48 That was a really impressive goal,
04:50 a counter-attack involving a couple of players and finished well.
04:53 You know, the kind of ASCII blueprint that we might expect this season
04:57 now that he's got his stamp on things.
04:59 So, yeah, it's been OK.
05:01 From what I've seen in the two away games,
05:05 I know the opposition is slightly lower level,
05:06 but they look a bit fitter, you know, they look organised.
05:10 You know, he's switched between two systems.
05:13 He's been given 45 minutes to maybe to back three or back five,
05:17 which we've seen from Hartlepool over the last couple of years,
05:19 really, since Dave Chandler's time,
05:21 you know, when we've had David Ferguson and Jamie Steary as wing-backs.
05:24 That's something that he's kept this summer.
05:27 And then we've seen in the second half,
05:29 he's maybe switched to a back four, a 4-3-3,
05:32 which is the sort of system that we were told to maybe expect
05:35 when he got appointed in February.
05:37 So, the players are looking quite well suited to both,
05:41 you know, they're adapting to both.
05:43 And that's only a positive as well, that they score on goals in both systems.
05:46 So, it's been positive.
05:49 I think beyond that, I'd say that it seems a happy camp,
05:53 you know, despite what happened last season,
05:56 from when I've gone in, people laugh,
05:57 you know, that you're passing in the stadium and things like that.
06:00 It seems a bit more of a happier camp,
06:02 and the pre-season's gone a bit better than what it did last year.
06:05 You know, they had the training camp up in Scotland,
06:08 where there was no sort of song and a dancing about that.
06:10 It was just up there at work.
06:12 They were doing multiple sessions a day,
06:13 and I think everyone bought into it.
06:15 And that's been something that John Askey said right at the end of last season,
06:18 you know, even before relegation was confirmed,
06:21 whatever division they were going to be in this season,
06:24 it was a case of getting good characters in this summer.
06:27 It's something that seems to be what they've done.
06:31 You know, I think there's eight or nine players coming now,
06:32 and they all seem to have settled in well.
06:35 Like I say, scoring goals, assisting, and all working hard
06:38 and buying into what the project is,
06:40 which is ultimately to try and get straight back up into the Football League.
06:44 You know, there's a lot of teams that have come out and said that.
06:46 You know, you're seeing new signings from other clubs elsewhere,
06:48 managers and things, targeting, promotion.
06:51 It hasn't really been said much at Harderpill until the last week,
06:54 where John Askey's come out and said,
06:56 'This has got to be the target.'
06:58 You know, I think he said on Tuesday night,
07:00 'We've got to be in and around the play-offs at a minimum,
07:02 but we need to be challenging at the top.'
07:03 And that's absolutely the right mindset to have.
07:06 In terms of the kind of shape of the team, system, formations,
07:09 what's your assessment of that
07:11 and how you think Pools will shape up this season?
07:12 And the types of players as well, I guess, that Askey's brought in with,
07:15 you know, the National League is very, very physical, isn't it?
07:18 End-to-end, you need big players in both boxes.
07:22 How do you sort of see the business done so far
07:26 and where do you sort of think Pools might be lacking?
07:29 Yeah, it's a good point, actually.
07:30 I think you can look at sort of Deja Suri and Emmanuel Onari-Assey,
07:34 who have come in and they both, at either end of the field,
07:36 they offer that sort of presence that might have been lacking at times last season.
07:41 I think, you know, Josh Murray, he did really well.
07:43 He carried the team for certainly the first half of last season.
07:47 You could maybe even argue beyond that.
07:48 I know his form dropped off a little bit after the January window
07:51 and the interest in him and he picked up a knock and things like that.
07:54 But, you know, he certainly did a good job.
07:56 But getting someone in, you know, a big presence alongside him is a boost.
08:00 We saw at Red Card, again, I know there's a bit of context we've had
08:04 in terms of the level of the opposition,
08:06 but we saw them linking up quite well in the first 45 minutes
08:09 that they played together at the back.
08:11 Like, say, Onari-Assey, he adds a little bit of presence in there
08:14 if he's going to go in as that sort of centre-back of the back three,
08:18 or he can adapt in a back two.
08:21 And he had a little bit of pace as well.
08:23 I mean, defensively, he's one that really needs to be on the money this year
08:27 because it was the worst defensive record in the division last season.
08:30 So, that is something that they have to cut out, they have to stamp out.
08:34 I think there's been three new rivals in the defence.
08:36 You know, Charlie Seaman came in on loan from Doncaster,
08:39 which John Askey had said he wanted a natural right back.
08:42 And that suggests to me that he might be the one to start out there
08:45 with Dan Dodds moving in as sort of a third centre-back,
08:48 like we saw at times last season, which, again, that could be an inclination
08:53 of how he's going to set up in terms of being a back three or a back five.
08:57 Beyond that, I think he brought the two goalkeepers in,
09:00 and he brought them in early in, Joel Dixon and Pete Jamieson,
09:03 and they were two key signings for me.
09:06 They could be two big signings because three weeks after the end of the season,
09:10 Hartlepool didn't have a goalkeeper on their books.
09:12 Ben Killip went, he's since gone to Barnsley,
09:15 Jack Masolicek, he went back to Leicester,
09:17 and obviously Patrick Boise went to Fleetwood Town.
09:19 So, a goalkeeper was an issue in an area that needed addressing immediately,
09:24 and they did that and they got in two really strong goalkeepers
09:27 to the point where, what are we now?
09:28 We're a couple of days out from the start of the season,
09:30 and it's still, you don't really know which way John Askey is going to sway
09:35 in terms of who he's going to give the gloves to on Saturday.
09:37 The squad numbers came out yesterday, Joel Dixon is number one.
09:42 Are we reading too much into that? You don't know these days.
09:45 So, it'll be interesting to see who does start.
09:47 They've both shared their minutes across pre-season, as you'd expect,
09:51 and it's an important position.
09:54 And again, that's something that Askey's highlighted quite a few times.
09:57 I think if you're going to be successful,
09:59 you need decent goalkeepers and goalkeepers that you can rely on,
10:04 and you don't necessarily want to be chopping and changing
10:06 through form or things like that throughout the season,
10:10 which has sometimes been the case over the last couple of years.
10:13 So, that's a position that you certainly think has been upgraded,
10:16 and you look at that with confidence, and that can then breed confidence
10:20 to those who are playing in front of them.
10:22 Going further forward, midfield, Ciarán Wallace on paper looks a decent sign.
10:26 I know he's injured at the moment, expecting him to miss maybe most of August,
10:30 I think, with a broken toe, four to six weeks for that, if he did it.
10:34 I think he did it on the training camp in Scotland,
10:37 so you're looking at mid-August, end of August, when he might come back in.
10:40 But on the face of it, you're getting someone who played over 30 games
10:44 for a team in League Two, just missed out on the playoffs last year.
10:47 I think he played 50 games across his two years with Mansfield,
10:50 so that's not a mean feat for a side who, when I've seen them over the last couple of years,
10:56 they've been one of the sides that have impressed me the most
10:58 when Hartlepool have played them, to be honest.
11:00 So, yes, on paper, good sign in there when he's back fit.
11:04 Anthony Mancini, he's the name that everyone's been talking about for this pre-season.
11:08 He came in on trial, stood out against Middlesbrough.
11:12 I do agree with John Askey in the sense that because of the fancy name,
11:17 the fancy hair, possibly he's maybe getting a little bit more credit than what he would get
11:22 if he was just, what did he say in the interview, Joe Smith from Hartlepool?
11:24 But he has impressed, he's done well.
11:27 He's got goals and assists to his name.
11:30 He's done enough to do that.
11:34 But importantly, again, I think the decision was made on him early in terms of ability.
11:40 It was then a case of, does his character fit in?
11:43 And that's something that he'd said, John Askey, this is, he'd said
11:47 in his interviews since he's been back for pre-season.
11:50 Obviously, Mancini went out to the training camp and that was a good environment for everyone
11:55 within the squad and within the staff to get a good look at him
11:58 and decide whether he's going to fit in here.
12:01 Obviously, they decided yes and handed him the New Deal.
12:04 And then he did well down at Redcar and then against Sunderland,
12:07 he scored two really good goals and he also scored a good goal at Harrogate.
12:10 So he could be one almost where you're looking at the start of the season
12:14 thinking he could be a key player this season and one to watch.
12:17 And certainly one to get fans excited as well.
12:19 And I think they've already made a quite catchy chant up about him as well.
12:23 So it's nice to have that sort of, that feel-good element,
12:27 like after what we've all been through over the last season.
12:31 But I suppose it all boils down to Saturday, doesn't it?
12:34 You know, we can talk about tactics and the shape of the squad and areas of strength.
12:38 And it's all about the results on the pitch.
12:42 And that obviously gets going on Saturday.
12:45 In terms of the system, yeah, like we were saying in pre-season there,
12:48 it's either or. I'd suspect that it's going to be a back three or a back five.
12:53 I think that's probably what's most comfortable.
12:56 And then if the change is in the system with the back four,
12:58 you can look to switch it up at the break, depending on how games go on.
13:02 But it's nice for them to have that in the locker this season as well.
13:06 And some of the players that have left this summer,
13:08 obviously Jamie Sturry and Nicky Featherstone.
13:11 A bit of a sag around that, obviously, but finally confirmed,
13:14 I think by him, wasn't it, over social media at the weekend.
13:18 Two big players, two big, you know, big characters as well around the dressing room,
13:22 around the squad, obviously played a huge part in Poole's recent,
13:27 I was going to say success in terms of promotion from the National League,
13:29 and obviously both played their part last season as well in terms of, you know,
13:33 the club getting relegated, but still two big characters who've gone.
13:36 Excited to see those two guys go.
13:38 And do you think Askew will be able to replace them in the dressing room?
13:42 Yeah, it is. Particularly Featherstone, I think it was a real shame how that's played out.
13:47 I think Jamie Sturry was one that, as soon as it looked as though they were going to get relegated,
13:52 he was probably always going to be likely to move on,
13:55 because we've said countless times on this podcast that he's a player who can certainly play in the Football League,
14:01 you know, and injuries prevent, and he could maybe even step higher.
14:05 So that was the one that you expected once relegation was confirmed.
14:11 The Nicky Featherstone one is, yeah, it's a strange one because the inclinations were that he wanted to stay,
14:17 you know, and I think Jonathan came out and said he wanted to stay as well.
14:21 So to go from both parties almost thinking that they were going to be agreeing a deal,
14:29 to then just drifting on and on and on to get to the point where it's taken until the week before the start of the season
14:35 for confirmation one way or the other, it all just seems a little bit strange.
14:39 And he will be a miss.
14:41 You only have to look at the ex-teammates, ex-managers,
14:45 you know, what people in the club have said about Nicky Featherstone,
14:48 to know how well he's thought of.
14:51 I know he's won that split opinion at times amongst the fan base,
14:55 perhaps an easy player to target or give a little bit of criticism to because of the longevity he's had at Hartlepool.
15:01 But for me, I think he would have been someone that you could have relied on this year to come in,
15:06 maybe not be playing 35, 40 games like what we're used to seeing from him,
15:10 especially with someone like Kevin Wallace coming in.
15:12 But he's someone that you could have relied on on the Saturday Tuesday ring-roll that you get on,
15:17 where you might be at home on a Saturday, then you're going down to a bar on a Tuesday night
15:21 where you can bring someone like Nicky Featherstone in who's been there, who's done it.
15:25 And he would have been a great player and a great personality to have in the dressing room this season as well.
15:30 So, real shame.
15:33 I think it'll be interesting to see where he goes, where his next move will be.
15:37 I think the fact that he hasn't gone anywhere again tells you how much he sort of felt as though a deal would have been reached with Hartlepool.
15:44 He had a little bit of a trial at Stockport recently, more of a favour from Dave Challoner,
15:49 just sort of helping him out, get his fitness up once he realised that the move wasn't going to happen to come back here.
15:55 So, a real shame.
15:56 And I think with him out and obviously with Wallace as well,
15:59 that you talk about areas of strength and that midfield one is probably one that is still open.
16:03 Bringing in maybe that sort of Antholden midfielder to sit in as a three or as a two.
16:11 That'll be one that I think they certainly are monitoring and one that I would expect if there's somebody coming,
16:17 that the next one to come in will probably be that area.
16:21 Just sort of quickly, do you think Josh Humer will go before the next few weeks?
16:25 If we'd done this at the beginning of pre-season, as I said, it would have been a case of when, not if.
16:31 But the feeling now really is that I think there's a confidence that he's going to stay.
16:36 There's been interest, well, there's been interest most of this year really.
16:40 I think we saw what happened on deadline day in January.
16:43 There was a couple of League One clubs, a couple of League Two clubs who were sniffing around and who'd made approaches.
16:48 They did exactly the right thing that they should have done at that time, keeping hold of their key player.
16:53 Because at that point, they needed him to try and steal.
16:55 It didn't happen. And then it was a case of, well, like I say, when, not if.
16:59 But bids have been knocked back.
17:02 Bids that have been, like John Askey said, good bids, but bids that aren't upfront enough.
17:08 They don't meet the valuation that the club have upfront at the moment.
17:11 And I think that's a good approach from the club.
17:14 You know, it's easy to knock them at times over the last 12 months.
17:17 But to keep that stand on a player like Josh O'Meara and make sure that you get your value.
17:24 I think the same with Mo Silla in terms of giving him the contract to make sure that you don't lose him on a free.
17:28 I know obviously the way that's gone, that could end up happening anyway.
17:31 But with someone like O'Meara, you want to make sure if you do sell him, that you're going to get compensated for it well.
17:36 Where you could reinvest it into the squad.
17:38 I put a piece out on the Mail yesterday or the beginning of the week, rather, about Gillingham.
17:44 They were certainly one of the clubs who have had a bid in from this summer.
17:47 And, you know, they've since turned their attention elsewhere.
17:49 So at the moment, it feels like he's going to stay.
17:53 He's back in, he's back playing, he's building his fitness up.
17:56 He scored in pre-season.
17:58 All of a sudden, you look at a potential partnership with him and De Jaturi, and you think that could be a decent front two in this league.
18:06 I think De Jaturi scored 13 for Halifax last year.
18:10 O'Meara, he scored 15 in League Two.
18:12 He scored 17 the last time he was in this division.
18:15 So there's goals there.
18:17 And they're the best quality that you can have at any level.
18:20 So to keep hold of him will be massive.
18:24 I do think it's something that will just run on.
18:26 You know, once we get the season up and running, there'll be teams in League Two who, you know, a striker might get injured on Saturday.
18:31 So then they'll be looking around for players who they see as value.
18:36 Outside of the division, Josh O'Meara is certainly someone who is valued to go into that division.
18:41 He proved that last year in a side that got relegated.
18:43 So you can never say never until the windows close.
18:46 And I really do think that it is one that might just simmer on in the background until like the 31st of August or the 1st of September when the window closes.
18:55 But at the moment, the feeling seems to be that he's going to stay.
18:58 And his attitude certainly seems to have picked up as well.
19:02 And he's buying into this pre-season with John Askey.
19:05 So that'll be a really, really good sign if they can keep him and if they can get him fit and firing to start the season.
19:10 I'd say that's a good partnership there that they've got and could lead them into a decent season.
19:15 One definite exit off the field, Darren Kelly.
19:18 How much of a blow is that going to be?
19:20 I mean, I know he's a little stale from the transfer window, isn't he?
19:26 So, you know, a lot of the business should be done by the time he leaves.
19:29 But moving forward, big blow.
19:31 He seems to have worked well with John Askey.
19:32 I mean, proof will be in the pudding in terms of the players they've brought in, but some promise there.
19:36 So it's another off-field blow, isn't it, on the back of a lot of staff members leaving over the last year or so?
19:41 Yes, it is. It's a bit of a strange one, isn't it, how it's come about?
19:44 You know, he's only been in since the end of February.
19:48 I think the club have been keen to stress that he's done a good job.
19:51 Quite where it sits with Askey.
19:53 You know, that's something that we might have to find out and something that he might be asked in his press conference ahead of the weekend.
20:00 You'd like to think that the business is done, or the majority of the business is done,
20:03 and any further targets who might be coming in are already kind of in the pipeline.
20:07 So, as you say, when he does go in a month's time, the recruitment side of things,
20:11 which I know he's kind of got an arm in a lot of aspects of the club,
20:16 but the recruitment one was certainly one of the key areas that he was brought in for.
20:19 You'd like to think that that is going to be almost done, so there won't be too much change there.
20:24 But, like you said, it doesn't necessarily give off a good sign, does it, for whatever reason?
20:28 You know, whether it's personal reasons for Darren Kelly himself, it's still, like you say, another key member of staff leaving.
20:36 I know the data analyst, Chris Navy, he left earlier in the season too.
20:40 So, there's still that worrying turnover of key staff members behind the scenes,
20:46 and obviously players as well that are still turning over and leaving the club,
20:50 which has just got to stop at some point, it really does.
20:56 They've said that they're going to reappoint in the role, which suggests that, again,
20:59 it backs up the job that they feel that he's done, to try and keep some sort of continuity there.
21:04 But it's one of them I will just have to see, won't we?
21:07 You know, he's got another month left.
21:10 The links with the academy is another thing that he was brought in for.
21:13 We've seen a few more of them feature over pre-season.
21:17 The academy, obviously, they brought a new intake of players in as well over the summer.
21:21 So, it's an interesting one to see how they go about it,
21:26 and the sort of person that they'll bring in for the role if they keep it,
21:30 and whether they'll keep that sort of recruitment relationship with John Askey,
21:33 or whether John Askey's had a taste of that this summer and thought, 'No, you know what?
21:37 I'd rather do this myself, or go this way, or go this way.'
21:40 Their conversations at the club, I'm assuming, are having internally,
21:43 and Darren Kelly may be having as well, you know, while he hands over.
21:46 So, an interesting one, but at the same time, yeah, it is.
21:51 Whatever the reason, it is a little bit worrying that key staff members still continue to be going in and out of the club.
21:57 It's just such a ease, really.
22:00 And just sort of finally then, looking ahead to Barnet the weekend.
22:04 We touched on it a bit earlier, but who do you think will start on goal in any of the particular selection?
22:09 Dilemmas for Askey, and obviously important to get off to a good result as well.
22:13 You don't want to… everyone remembers how last season started,
22:16 but the National League's a completely different kettle of fish.
22:20 But yeah, how do you see Barnet going this weekend, Joe?
22:22 Yeah, it hit the nail on the head there,
22:25 that that's why I think I'm a little bit apprehensive about the way the pre-season's gone,
22:29 because you saw how quickly that came crashing down at Walsall last year, you know,
22:34 and all of a sudden any sort of positivity with John Askey staying and building up a bit of feel-good factor within the squad
22:41 and all these sorts of things that'll quickly be forgotten about if Saturday goes a similar way as to what that open day did last year.
22:47 So, it's a big game.
22:49 It's a really important game.
22:51 I know you can turn around and say, 'Well, yeah, there's another 45 after this',
22:54 but because of the mentality that's been around the club, because of the negativity of going down,
22:59 and you need to start winning games again.
23:02 How many games did they win last year? I think it was nine.
23:05 You need to get that feeling of winning football matches back into you as a club, as a fan base, as a manager, as players.
23:13 So, it's a more important game for Hartlepool than I'd say Barnet,
23:18 and it's a good test for them as well because, you know, their side, I think they finished fifth in the table last year,
23:24 so they got in the playoffs, they'll be looking two or one better this year.
23:28 You know, there might be quite a few people's tips to do OK this year as well,
23:31 so it's a really tough opener for them, and it'll give them a good sense of where they're at
23:36 and what they might need to do going ahead because then you come back and then you play Gateshead in your first home game.
23:42 Another side who quietly gone about their business quite well this summer and who might chock a few people this season.
23:47 So, it's a tricky opening for them, but in a way, it's probably one that you'd want.
23:52 You'd rather test yourself straight away so you can get a feeling for it and get back into this league in the swing of it
23:58 against sides who you think are going to do well than perhaps playing some sides who might struggle
24:03 and then get a test further down the line where you think, 'Oh, we're getting a little bit ahead of ourselves here.'
24:08 So, it is a big game.
24:10 Selection issues, yeah, the goalkeeper one is certainly one of the interesting ones
24:15 because I still think you could flip a coin up until two o'clock until we get the team news, to be honest.
24:23 Like you say, the squad numbers came out. Does Dixon being given the number one mean he's going to be the number one?
24:27 Absolutely not. You know, John Askey, he's had Pete Jamieson as a player before.
24:32 He got promoted with him at York, so that literally could go either way.
24:37 I think the key thing is it seems as though both keepers are sort of pushing each other on as well.
24:41 And whoever does get the nod, that will not be a case of any ill will or anything like that.
24:46 That's that team spirit that he's been keen to bring in.
24:50 Beyond that, I suppose it'll be formation-based if you go for the back five.
24:53 Like I said earlier, I think Charlie Seaman, he starts out on the right in that wing-back role,
24:57 which you'll see Dan Dodds in as the third centre-back.
25:00 Then you'll have a couple of decisions to make in central defence and then David Ferguson.
25:04 Obviously, new captain now, he'll lead them out on Saturday.
25:07 He's going to be a big player for them up that left-hand side.
25:10 Midfield almost picks itself, given the injuries, you know, with Mancini, Callum Cook in there.
25:16 Tom Crawford, probably, you know, it's been nice to see him get some minutes under his belt.
25:19 Obviously, missed most of last season with an ankle injury.
25:23 So, it's been nice to see him get plenty of minutes under his belt in pre-season.
25:27 And then your front two, Diasuria, he's suspended.
25:30 You know, he's carrying the suspension over from last season,
25:33 got sent off for Halifax in their last game of the season, or the second-last game of the season.
25:37 So, he's missing.
25:38 So, that means Josh Yamura, Chris Rea, they're likely going to be your front two.
25:43 But there's a decent balance there, you know, and there's options all of a sudden off the bench.
25:48 So, it's going to be... Yeah, it's interesting.
25:50 It's always nice, regardless of what's gone on in the past 12 months,
25:54 and even over the summer, and the uncertainties that are still around the club.
25:58 We've talked about staff leaving and the club up for sale and things like that.
26:02 It's score time, isn't it?
26:03 You know, this is what everyone waits for.
26:04 You get to the start of the season, and no matter what's gone on, it's about what happens now.
26:08 And everyone looks forward to the start of a new season, regardless of what's gone before.
26:12 So, we can get a good test and a good example of what's going to happen.
26:17 Hopefully, what's going to be a good season.
26:20 Good stuff. Thank you very much, Joe.
26:23 Yeah, hopefully we'll be allowed back in soon,
26:25 but Joe will continue to cover pools on the way, as best we can, throughout the season.
26:31 So, please do look on the Mail website and pick up a copy of the paper every Thursday
26:35 for the latest news from the Vic, and Joe will be across all the latest transfer news as well.
26:40 And we'll look to do these regularly throughout the season.
26:42 Thanks for your time, Joe.
26:43 Yeah, been good to see you again.
26:45 Indeed, yeah. And catch everybody, hopefully, after opening season, when it's Barnet.
26:53 We live and hope.
26:53 Cheers, Joe.
26:54 Thanks, all.
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