Small Steps Forward
Committed Captain
By Mill House
July 22 2013
So what have we learnt from the weekend and the goalless draw against Boro? Well Sweeney will skipper the side, Flinders will more than likely end up at the Riverside in the next few days, and we have some decent youngsters coming along. Oh, and Stevie Howard is still here.
Flinders was outstanding and if he hadn't been Boro would have won by three or four. He needed to be as the Pools defence allowed Boro to come on to them with Walton exposed a few times in a defensive midfield role.
That position could be a problem - as it was last season when Murray was prematurely allowed to leave
The main bright spot was the form of Bradley Walker when he came in on into the midfield in the second half. The 17 year old looks a real prospect, but it would too much to expect him to compete in the hurly burly of the second division.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of a poorly attended game was that Cooper and Hignett got a chance to see the squad in action against a decent English side for the first time. The frailties of last season were still there - no punch in attack and lapses of concentration in defence.
In among this lot let's hope there are the answers. Pools squad numbers for now ..
1 Scott Flinders
2 Neil Austin
5 Sam Collins
6 Jack Baldwin
7 Jonathan Franks
8 Simon Walton
10 James Poole
11 Andy Monkhouse
13 Andy Rafferty
14 Jack Compton
15 Antony Sweeney
16 Josh Rowbotham
17 Greg Rutherford
19 Jordan Richards
20 Dan Jones
22 Darren Holden
28 Lewis Hawkins
29 Peter Hartley
33 Luke James
37 Zak Boagey
38 Bradley Walker
39 Steve Howard