Wycombe Wanderers travel to Hartlepool United on Saturday for their 13th league game of the season.
The league table currently shows Wycombe in 22nd place with 9 points from 12 games and Hartlepool in 9th spot with 19 points from only 11 games.
Hartlepool’s Home Record…W 2 – D 2 – L 1 – Pts 8 – Ppg 1.60 (Rank-8)
Wycombe’s Away Record….W 1 – D 1 – L 4 – Pts 4 – Ppg 0.67 (Rank-20)
Hartlepool have surprised everyone with their fine start to the season.
Having finished 15th, 19th, 20th and 16th since winning promotion to League One in 2007, the Monkey Hangers were in 4th place with an unbeaten record as we entered October.
The feel good factor began before a ball was kicked when the club sold 5,900 cut-price season tickets, 4,500 more than they sold the season before.
“If we hadn’t done this, I don’t think we’d have got the 1,400 figure of last season. The feedback we were getting was that people just couldn’t afford it any more and I was worried we’d drop below 1,000,” said Pools’ Chief Executive Russ Green in an interesting little article you can read by clicking here.
The excellent respose to their ticketing initiative coupled with the summer signing of Peruvian international Nobby Solano fostered a feeling that Hartlepool were a club on the up, and 5 wins and 4 draws in their opening 9 games reinforced that belief.
All good things come to an end though, and October has seen Pools lose two league games on the trot, the most recent being a less than impressive 3-0 defeat to Notts County live on Sky.
“Some of us were angry at ourselves because we didn’t play as well as we have been doing, but on the positive front we all agreed that we’re not going to let this happen again. We need to win next week,” said skipper Sam Collins.
So Pools will be looking to bounce back quickly but will have to do so without Solano who is ruled out of Saturday’s game with a hamstring injury. Colin Larkin and Andy Rafferty are also doubtful for the home side.
The Blues almost won a game last week but having taken the lead against fellow strugglers Walsall, they shot themselves in the foot by conceding a comical equaliser with ten minutes to go.
The biggest positives to take from the game were…. a) We didn’t lose, b) New left-back Grant Basey looked the part, and c) Dave Winfield is back.
In desperate need of three points to avoid becoming entrenched in the relegation zone, the Blues will try to upset the odds at Victoria Park ahead of another away game at Oldham and two difficult home clashes with Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday.
Martin Rowlands is struggling to recover from a rib injury and is doubful for the long trip up north.
Here are some stats……
Hartlepool’s last five games (All Competitions)
Lg1: Carlisle (A)…………….Won 2-1
Lg1: Bury (H)………………..Won 3-0
Lg1: Bournemouth (A)……..Won 2-1
Lg1: Sheff Wed (H)………….Lost 0-1
Lg1: Notts County (A)………Lost 0-3
Wycombe’s last five games (All Competitions)
Lg1: Sheffield Utd (H)……….Won 1-0
Lg1: Preston (H)………………Lost 3-4
Lg1: Rochdale (A)…………….Lost 1-2
JPT: Cheltenham (H)…………Lost 1-3
Lg1: Walsall (H)……………..Drew 1-1
Hartlepool Goal Stats (13 games in all Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)………Lg: 17…Cups: 1…Total: 18
Goals Conceded (Total)…..Lg: 12…Cups: 3…Total: 15
Goals Scored (Home)……..Lg: 6…..Cups: 1…Total: 7
Goals Conceded (Home)….Lg: 2…..Cups: 1…Total: 3
Clean Sheets………………..Lg: 3…..Cups: 0…Total: 3
Wycombe Goal Stats (16 games in all Competitions)
Goals Scored (Total)……….Lg: 11…Cups: 8…..Total: 19
Goals Conceded (Total)……Lg: 19…Cups: 11…Total: 30
Goals Scored (Away)………Lg: 5…..Cups: 0…..Total: 5
Goals Conceded (Away)…..Lg: 10…Cups: 0…..Total: 10
Clean Sheets…………………Lg: 1….Cups: 0…..Total: 1
Hartlepool’s Top Goal Scorers – (All Competitions)
Adam Boyd……………….4 (inc 1 pen)
James Poole………………3
Colin Nish…………………3
Nolberto Solano………….2
Gary Liddle……………….2
Four other players have each scored 1 goal.
Wycombe’s Top Goal Scorers – (All Competitions)
Stuart Beavon………..6
Scott Donnelly………..4 (inc 2 pens)
Joel Grant……………..2
Ben Strevens…………2
Five other players have each scored 1 goal.
Hartlepool Shooting (Top-3) – All Competitions
Colin Nish…………….7 on-target…..9 off-target…0 against woodwork
Antony Sweeney……3 on-target…12 off-target…0 against woodwork
Gary Liddle…………..9 on-target…..4 off-target…1 against woodwork
Wycombe Shooting (Top-3) – All Competitions
Scott Donnelly………10 on-target…10 off-target…0 against woodwork
Stuart Beavon………15 on-target…..2 off-target…0 against woodwork
Joel Grant……………..7 on-target…..9 off-target…0 against woodwork
Shooting (Club) – League Games Only
Hartlepool…….37 on target…50 off target…3 against w’work (Rank-23)
Wycombe……..43 on target…55 off target…3 against w’work (Rank-22)
Most Assists
Hartlepool – Paul Murray……..4
Wycombe – Andy Sandell…….3
League Form Guide
All Season
Hartlepool….Pld: 11…W: 5…D: 4…L: 2…Pts: 19…Pts per game: 1.73
Wycombe….Pld: 12…W: 2…D: 3…L: 7…Pts: 9…..Pts per game: 0.75
Last Five league Games
Hartlepool……WWWLL – 9 points (Rank-6)
Wycombe……..LWLLD – 4 points (Rank-20)
Last Five League Games (Home)
Hartlepool……DDWWL – 8 points (Rank-8)
Last Five League Games (Away)
Wycombe………WLLLL – 3 points (Rank-22)
Against Top Half Opposition
Hartlepool…..Pld: 5…Pts: 5…Pts per game: 1.00…(Rank-9)
Wycombe…..Pld: 5…Pts: 4…Pts per game: 0.80…(Rank-12)
Against Bottom Half Opposition
Hartlepool……Pld: 6…Pts: 14…Pts per game: 2.33…(Rank-5)
Wycombe……Pld: 7…Pts: 5…..Pts per game: 0.71…(Rank-23)
Previous Meetings
In 6 previous meetings there have been 3 wins for Hartlepool, 1 for Wycombe and 2 draws.
At Victoria Park there have been 2 draws, 1 win for Hartlepool and none for Wycombe.
2003/04 LG1: Hartlepool 1 Wycombe 1
2003/04 LG1: Wycombe 3 Hartlepool 4
2006/07 LG2: Hartlepool 2 Wycombe 0
2006/07 LG2: Wycombe 0 Hartlepool 1
2009/10 LG1: Hartlepool 1 Wycombe 1
2009/10 LG1: Wycombe 2 Hartlepool 0
The Man In The Middle
Saturday’s referee is Darren Drysdale from Lincolnshire who was promoted to the National List of Referees in 2004. Last season he took charge of Wycombe’s 2-2 draw with Aldershot at Adams Park. So far this campaign he’s issued 0 red and 22 yellow cards in 9 games.
Prediction
Hartlepool 1 Wycombe 0
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