Hartlepool V Crewe at Victoria Park : Match Preview

25 February 2013 17:31
Hartlepool V Crewe - view commentary, squad, and statistics of the game live.


Wyke striving for Pools inclusion

Hartlepool striker Charlie Wyke is hoping to shake off illness in time for the home game with Crewe.

Wyke, on loan from Middlesbrough, was forced off in the second half of Saturday's 2-1 win at Scunthorpe and replaced by Steve Howard.

Howard is likely to continue alongside James Poole if Wyke fails to make it.

Otherwise, manager John Hughes could name an unchanged starting line-up for the seventh game running as Pools look to extend their unbeaten league run to seven matches.

Midfielder Antony Sweeney is still struggling with a knee injury and teenage defender Jordan Richards has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his knee cartilage problem.

Pools are chasing three straight league wins for the first time since September 2011 as they continue their bid to escape relegation.

Crewe manager Steve Davis has no fresh injury worries.

Defender Matt Tootle has recovered from a foot injury and is set to feature for Alex's Under-21 team at Wigan on Monday afternoon.

Max Clayton came off the bench to fire a late winner against Coventry at the weekend and is also set for further action with the second string, alongside fellow striker and trialist Nathan Ellington.

Rookie defender Jon Guthrie (groin) is Davis' only concern and the Alex boss believes managing his players' workloads effectively will be key during a busy run of fixtures.

"With the amount of games we have coming up in a short space of time, the recovery times will be important," Davis told Crewe's official website.

"We will be organising the training to make sure that the recovery is spot on. (Hartlepool) are on a little run, so it will be a tough game up there."

Source: PA