Next Season Starts Here

Craig Hignett has started tying down his out of contract players for next season and his preparation effectively starts against Accrington Stanley on Tuesday ..

Pools have four games left and all are against top six sides - so what better way to set down a marker for the next campaign.

They will be hard games as Stanley, Oxford, Portsmouth and Plymouth all need the wins, but a decent return for Pools would put this season to bed nicely and give the bookies something to think about over the summer.

Pools will need to be more focused than they were in relegating York. Nathan Thomas' first half goal, followed by a  red card for the Ministermen only contrived to send the home side into a slumber which allowed City to equalise.

Fortunately Michael Woods got on the end of a Magnay cross to  deny a superb Scott Flinders who must be ruing his exit from the Vic.

His repalcement Scott Carson is a similar talent and has commtted his next three years to Pools with young winger Jack Blackford signing professional forms alongsidethe likes of Luke Baldwin.