Hartlepool chase ten-game unbeaten streak in National League promotion push
23.03.2021
Hartlepool United surge to second in the league with a formidable run ahead of their clash with 16th-place Dagenham and Redbridge. The Pools’ odds look good on paper, as a full 16 points separate the two sides, along with 19 goal difference. Although Hartlepool have played a game or two more than their nearest league rivals Sutton and Torquay, their momentum (and their knowledge that games in hand don’t always equate to points on the board) spurs them on.
The club also benefits from Lewis Cass and Tomi Odusina’s return from suspension. Odusina missed a game following his two bookable offences at Eastleigh, while Cass missed three after his straight red at Altrincham. Luke Williams also returns to the side after a nightmare injury that saw four years without a league start for the striker. Williams, once an England international for the under-17s, bolstered the side for the first time since his injury in their recent 1-0 victory over Woking, and looks to do the same again in East London.
However, it may not be an easy feat. Dagenham looked like easy pickings when Hartlepool were slated to face them last month, but a match-postponement coincided with a remarkable uptick in the club’s results. Undefeated in five matches, Dagenham may well put up a fight against their opponents, regardless of their league position.
As well as Hartlepool’s nine-game unbeaten streak, they’re also fuelled by their friends in high places. Sky Sports’ Jeff Stelling, a Hartlepool native, serves as the club’s president. Stelling recently praised Hartlepool’s perseverance in succeeding on the pitch, and incorporating Williams back into the side. Stelling stated that Williams may help Hartlepool “make that final push back to where the club and you [Williams] belong - the Football League.”
If the club emerges from Dagenham and Redbridge with a ten-game unbeaten streak at the business end of the season, anything is possible.
