Rushden visit - payback time?

By Albatross
November 14 2003

They're the last team to beat us in a league game at the Vic, they're the team that just pipped us for the title last season, they're Rushden and Diamonds and face Pools again on Saturday. Max Griggs may be retiring and looking to offload the club, but Rushden are not exactly struggling yet...

Thirteen and a half months ago, Rushden bacame the second side of the season to take three points from a league game at the Vic; no other team has managed the feat since, and for that reason alone Pools need to be wary. So often it seems that history can repeat itself - such as our long unbeaten run in 2000/1 that started and finished with Southend - and with the memories of last season's title decider still fresh in many minds, this has a bit more edge to it than some games.

One leading figure from last season's dramas will be missing though: Rushden 'keeper Billy Turley, who apparently is capable of being pole-axed by both plastic bottles and innocuous challenges from Eifion Williams, and who tested positive for Nandrolone last season but escaped punishment, is injured.

Rushden were quite ridiculously given short odds to get promotion before the start of this season, although you won't find many - if any - Diamonds fans who seriously thought they'd be mounting a challenge. Comfortable survival has been their aim, and so far they're looking good for achieving it: in fact, although several places behind Pools in 13th, they are only a solitary point worse off.

Seven wins and seven defeats in the league show a degree of inconsistancy, and recent results have shown this with a vengeance. After managing a good draw at Sheffield Wednesday and then beating Blackpool away, they promptly lost at home to Wrexham; recovered with a 3-1 defeat of Grimsby in their last league game, and then went out of two cup competitions in a week with a home defeat at the hands of Luton in the LDV and a 3-0 defeat at Swansea in the FA Cup last weekend.

Currently Brian Talbot is facing something of an injury crisis, and that's certainly not helping results. As well as Turley, he's lost another goalkeeper in the last few days in Paul Evans, and has had to bring in Jamie Ashdown on loan from Reading. Meanwhile, up front the influential Onandi Lowe (leading scorer with 10 goals) looks set to miss the game after also missing the FA Cup game, recent signing Paul Kitson (4 goals) is struggling with a knee injury, and the out-of-favour Duane Darby has been allowed to sign for Shrewsbury. Talbot has resorted to signing another player on loan, this time Leicester's Trevor Benjamin. Benjamin scored a hatful of goals at this level for Cambridge a few years ago, but has struggled at Leicester - he hasn't made a Premiership appearance this season, and although he scored nine times last year failed to displace Ade Akinbiyi the season before that.

That's not an end to Talbot's woes either - Captain Paul Underwood is also a major doubt for the game, while Robert Duffy, Stuart Wardley and Andy Burgess will all miss out.

There's still some quality in the Rushden sqaud though, and Pools will have to be especially wary of Paul Hall. While winger Hall has only scored once so far this season, he tormented Pools in this fixture last season and on his day can be a handful for any defence. Joining Benjamin up front is likely to be former Crewe star Rodney Jack, while defenders Barry Hunter and Andy Edwards will provide formidable opposition at the back.

For Pools, Cooper has little in the way of injury problems - John Brackstone is doubtful - but still faces a few tough decisions. Marco Gabbiadini will miss this game after picking up his fifth booking against Notts County a fortnight ago, and with Paul Robinson out of form and Eifion Williams filling in on the right, the gap left by Gabbiadini is a big one. Marcus Richardson may find himself back in the side with Robinson, or thre may even be a start for Jack Wilkinson after his impressive sub appearance against Whitby. Another option is Adam Boyd, who Cooper has denied is going to Darlington on loan - Coops has told the Teamtalk website that he hasn't had an approach for the locally-born forward. The other alternative would seem to be moving Eifion back to his preferred striking role, but that then leaves a gap on the right that looks harder to fill than ever....

The rest of the team looks pretty settled though, and once the question of who plays up front is sorted out I don't expect any other changes unless Brackstone can't make it - in which case perm any one from Robson, Robinson and Jordan to fill in at left back.

This is a game that we really need to get the three points from. With the three league games to follow this including away games at Plymouth and QPR, it's not unlikely that we'll be facing a couple of defeats - and with the division as close as it is, that could see us sucked down towards the bottom end. It's a game Pools need to win, and one that they should win - especially given the injury-weakened nature of our opponents. I'm going for 2-1 to Pools, with Humphreys and Eifion Williams to grab the goals.