All of a sudden the Durham Senior cup game against Darlington becomes ever more important after Saturdays debacle. Play the whole first team it will help integrate the new guys a bit more. After Raj saving the club what better way to say thank you than to stuff the old enemy. Tell me is Mark Simson doiing match coverage of this game, would be a nice touch free to all on the Pools web site and would be appreciated by all those not able to make the game.

The players need a week on the training ground building towards Saturday, Tuesday isn’t a first team fixture so I wouldn’t risking injury for anyone in line to play at the weekend. I would give some of the bench a run out, definitely Muir who could do with some confidence and then the rest would be kids for me.

Is it covered on any free to "listen" radio station?

Where the hell is the predictions thread ??

Its going to be started after the game finishes

'Maddo' on Radio Tees was blathering on last week about how this near meaningless fixture is 'massive' for both clubs. That's probably because he played far more games for the Loids than he ever did for the Borer, and still thinks like a Loid.

I'd love to see a Darlo-Hartlepool game in a proper competition, NL, FA Cup or FA Trophy, but couldn't care less about the Durham Challenge Cup.

Seems to be a lot of hype about this friendly, but only from one side. Is it because they think they can win it or purely trying to get the locals interested to raise some much needed funds.

I struggle to listen to first team games on the radio never mind youth team ones.

It's a reserve team game for us, I'd expect at most some of the bench to be involved. Couldn't care less about it.

I sort of agree but find myself going back to the Neale Cooper philosophy - the club wins every game, no matter at what level, to breed/ instill a winning mentality. And we certainly need some of that mentality at present - and how much grief would Mr Money get if we were to lose tomorrow? A lot - a disproportionate amount of abuse in all probability - so I'd err on the side of caution and would put out a pretty strong side - whilst giving the likes of Cunningham and Muir a run out.

And what abuse will he get if a player even remotely close to being on the pitch on Saturday against (insert name of another god awful part time club here) gets an injury and misses a month or two?

Can you imagine if he played the first team and they got turned over

So it's a lose lose....................with a squad as thin as ours he can only play Hawkins. And bairns.

You will be able to listen for free on Darlo fans radio. Depending on who is commentating it can be good and not always biased!
As for the game itself, I'm going but I really don't care about the score but it will be nice if we win

Yes its been over hyped but considering its just a DCC game, its a good money maker for both sides as you get half the takings.
I wonder if your chairman dares show his face........

Not sure why he wouldn't, didn't he save your club once too...?

As did Coxall for you. Would you be happy to see him come back for a visit?

Very... Provided the police turned a blind eye.

But Coxall didn't save us, he never invested a penny. He took over a club with no debt and left it with plenty.

What website is Darlo fans radio on?

How many tickets have pools fans sold?

I'm sure I heard around 150

Normally I would be in the camp of play a full strength team, but given our situation, probably best left alone. Imagine the outcry if say Loach got injured?. I would be looking at giving the likes of Richardson , Cunningham, Newton , Muir and McLaughlin a run out like.

The Lord Light Programme, but your radio will need valves to receive it.

Ah yes it next to the BBC Home Service

The bench team is always better than the first team.Don't you read the posts on here ??

Fair point that. That is until they actually start a game and then they are crap, and the player they replaced, now on the bench , comes on for the last 20 mins and plays well, and so it goes on, going around in circles

tbh i'm a bit miffed your making anything out it ..



Popcorn and a case of Stella for me tomorrow night..

That’ll take some flushing!

That's a slap up meal in most parts of Darlo. There, I've done my bit to reignite this fabled rivalry.

Tuning in ?? Just listen out for our old favourite.."In Your Hartlepool Homes " .

Why you miffed? To be honest i coudnt give a shit about the game itself, I was just curious how many tickets pools had sold.

Shouldn’t that be ‘slums’ - can it be that long since you had an opportunity to sing your little ditty that you’ve forgotten the lyrics?? Rest assured that Money will turn out his in-form, most mobile, hungry and committed players to represent the club - the development team.

The most over hyped Derby game in football., crowds of no more than 2000/3000 at many games, no real links between the towns, I had been following Pools for 10 years before I first saw Darlo turn up at our place in any great number, Good Friday 1981.

Probably no more over hyped than any other Derby.

One thing I always notice when games are brought up from the eighties is that the crowds were terrible, one just has in another thread Bournemouth away, 2,300, football was on it's arse on a lot of ways. Poor reputation, crumbling terraces, awful cages on away ends and some home ends. I remember when I first started going to away games as a kid in the late eighties most of the grounds were death traps, crowds were poor, racist chanting rife and trouble fairly common. It was a long way from the 'matchday experience' people talk of now. I was hooked and loved it though, and miss 'proper' grounds

The Taylor report was probably a big turning point added to the Worldwide growth of the Premier League to the point we are now were the game has never been more popular. The last time we played Darlo the crowds were over 7,000 at the Vic and over 10,000 at the Arena if we played again in a proper game which at some point which you'd think we will I'd expect a lot of interest and a big crowd.

I remember an article in 'When Saturday comes' in 90's when they listed the top five derbies in terms in intense rivalry and in amongst Celtic and Rangers was Pools/Darlo.

Agree with that, though I suggest the games popularity is now due to people watching on tv rather than actually attending games. The majority of fans these days are ST holders, whereas in the 70s a greater cross section of people attended games, whereas as now its more or less the same people at every home game , few casual supporters attending just the odd game or two during a season.

The last few Darlo games did attract the sort of crowds I would expect for a derby game.

Young Master Popcorn still selling his arse is he? It must be like a wizard's sleeve by now.