Preview: Sheffield Wednesday v Hartlepool United

By Albatross
November 19 2004

Hartlepool United face Sheffield Wednesday looking to improve their form away from Victoria Park. The good news for Pools is that our hosts are far from impressive on their home turf; can we add further to their current misery?

The departure of Chris Turner seems to have done little to improve Wednesday's fortunes, with Paul Sturrock also struggling to get the best out of a squad that is still underperforming, especially at Hillsborough. They were in 14th when Turner parted company with them following a home defeat against Bournemouth; now they are 12th, with all cup interest ended thanks to first round defeats in both the LDV Trophy (against Chester) and FA Cup, with Swindon's convincing victory last weekend the source of much discontent.

Whether Sturrock will be given time to get things right is a moot point: after all, the current average time given to managers at Hillsborough over the last decade is less than two years. The fans are far from happy, with splits and in-fighting not just about the management, but about those in the boardroom; Dave Allen, the current Chairman, is not popular with many, and with Ken Bates trying and so far failing to get involved with the club and attracting support and derision in equal measure it's far from a happy ship.

On the pitch, Sturrock has what on paper at least looks to be a pretty decent squad to choose from. A lot of players left over the summer, but some decent-looking players came in. The fact that Alan Quinn and Leigh Bromby have been picked up by Sheffield United and have been regulars since their move across the city hasn't gone down well, but with players such as David Lucas, Lee Bullen, Paul Heckinbottom, Chris Marsden, Steven MacLean and Lee Peacock coming in there should have been more than enough talent to challenge.

As last season, one of the big problems has been home form. Whether the players freeze in front of the crowd, or are perhaps affected by the weight of expectations on them, there's no doubt that something major isn't right for the Owls when they play at Hillsborough; this season they have won just two out of eight at home, scored just six times, and have a negative goal difference. The contrast with their away form is bizarre - they have won four points more, and scored more than three times as many in just one more game to have the second best record in the division.

MacLean is top scorer so far for the Owls with seven goals, and Adam Proudlock has scored four; but the fact that veteran full-back Lee Bullen (also four) is the only other player to have scored more than twice tells something of a tale.

Recent form is to be honest very poor. Their last league fixture was a 3-0 away win at struggling Stockport, but that was their only victory in five games - six if you want to include the FA Cup. Peterborough, Bradford, Swindon and Chesterfield all took points off them in the meantime, and having also dropped points against Oldham, Walsall and MK Dons - two of them having forced draws at Hillsborough - they have hardly covered themselves with glory.

In terms of Team News, Wednesday will be missing Chris Marsden and Drew Talbot, but should welcome Lee Bullen back after suspension kept him out of the most recent defeat at the County Ground. Guylain Ndumbu-Nsungu, who scored the disputed penalty in the corresponding fixture last season, has been struggling with achilles problems but may be fit to start after playing for the reserves in midweek. The player that won that penalty, Danish forward Kim Olsen, has yet to appear this season - given that the 6'4" forward seemed to fall over in the box when Westy breathed too hard near him, he may have been sneezed back to Scandanavia. David Lucas should be fit to take his regular place in goal.

As far as Pools are concerned, Mark Tinkler will probably resume his midfield role after suspension last week, and the main concern seems to be Ben Clark. If his hamstring has recovered, then he could well replace Nelson in defence - otherwise the transfer-listed defender is likely to continue. Hugh Robertson's much awaited comeback saw him play an hour for the reserves, but I suspect he won't be plunged straight back in to the first team just yet - a place on the bench is a possibility.

This is a game that Pools should be looking at as an opportunity to improve their away form. The Owls aren't getting the results at home, and we go into this game on the back of four successive wins if you include our cup exploits. I think though that we'll have to settle for a draw, 1-1 with Porter continuing his recent good form.