Lessons for Pools in Dutch defeats

Hartlepool United's pre-season training week in Holland may have been a failure on the pitch, with two defeats in two matches and not a goal scored, but manager Neale Cooper says it was a success really.

Cooper (right) was ill for the first couple of days on the other side of the North Sea, it rained most of the time and the two results were nothing to write home about, but the boss insists on looking on the bright side.

He told the Hartlepool Mail: “It’s been a very successful trip, if spoilt a little by the weather.”

Pools lost 2-0 to Telstar and 3-0 to Almere City, but Cooper says the second performance was a lot better and added that his team were a little unfortunate to lose to such a scoreline.

But with Victoria Park games against Middlesbrough and Sunderland coming up, Cooper admits Pools need to cut out defensive mistakes and start scoring goals as the new season gets closer.

That’s the message he will be drumming into the players as their preparations continue, but the results in Holland have not done a lot to boost season ticket sales or to give fans a lot of confidence for the new campaign.