Harrogate Town AFC

Watch the Gaffer's pre-Hartlepool interview here…
 


The Gaffer on whether Tuesday's 2-2 draw with Tranmere was a test passed…

Yes, because I think it was our toughest challenge. I think they were very, very strong opposition and destined to be in that top three come the end of the season so to finish with that score line, and it was a fair reflection of the game and especially after a tricky first 15 minutes, I thought we showed a lot of character and a lot of ability as well.

On the atmosphere at the EnviroVent Stadium…

It was a brilliant atmosphere, and I know there's bigger fan bases and stadiums at this level but for us and where we've been, in terms of attendances, the ground and the infrastructure, there's promising signs that that's for sure.

An update on Connor Hall's calf injury…

Well, we'll really find out next couple of days after training and see if there's any repercussions from upping his workload on that calf but we expect him to be OK.

On whether Hartlepool's good start to the season has surprised him at all…

No, because they're another big club and once the momentum starts turning and moving forward, they've got huge partisan support behind them. It was a great win away from home at Bradford the other night and they had a large following there but especially at home, it becomes like 12^th man for them on the terraces and it makes it a hard place to go.

I think it's a terrific stadium and it makes it hard for opposition to go there and dictate play but we've got to remember that if we want to do well, we have to grow as a team and be able to perform, even in hostile setups. They've got great support and it's credit to the manager that he's turn the club around.

Dave (Challinor) likes to get teams playing, he did that at Fylde where they played good football and that's the case at Hartlepool, they went up successfully from playing a good brand of football.

Whether they play 3-5-2 which they've done in every home game so far or the diamond shape in the 4-4-2. Sticking two up front, it's tricky and you've got to make sure that you're organised away from the ball, which we have to improve upon from the last couple of games. More often than not though we've stayed honest and been good in that aspect.

On making the trip up to Victoria Park and looking back on previous meetings…

It's not a place where we've turned up and not performed. We've enjoyed playing there in the last couple of years when we've had the opportunity to do so.  We know that they're a different proposition now and they've got that momentum going forward again. They're all games where we think ‘good, they're just around the corner'. We've got Bristol at home after that, Forest Green coming up, Sheffield Wednesday away.

From our point of view, they're games to cherish and look forward to because we know that our fans are excited about it. There's perhaps not the pressure on our players in terms of expectations as there are on a lot of these opponents, but Saturday should be a great game full of players that are honest and wanting to play the front foot, so we're looking forward to it.

#ProudToBeTown