Hartlepool United vs Woking FC Preview
Hartlepool United will host Woking FC this weekend at Victoria Park in the Vanarama National League.
Despite a valiant attempt at a comeback in their last fixture against Eastleigh, they fell to a 4-3 loss at The Silverlake Stadium and were also faced with ten men controversially after right-back Carl Magnay was sent off in the dying moments for alleged simulation.
The pools will be looking to turn around their run of form, sitting at 19th and just four points above the drop zone and are still on the lookout for a win in 2018, with their last victory coming in November against Halifax Town.
A continuous run of poor form could see Hartlepool slip up into the relegation zone and also achieve one of their worst seasons in club history.
Anthony Limbrick's Woking side will look to extend their form to three wins on the bounce, after they beat Chester last week and Gateshead in the following.
With just ten men, youngster Josh Staunton fired home allowing the Cardinals all three points against the Blues and to sit them at a more comfortable 14th place, 12 points away from the drop zone.
In the previous meeting back in September, Woking and the Pools played out a 1-1 draw at the Laithwaite Community Stadium.
But with the recent form of both sides, it looks more likely to be disappointment around the ground for the home fans in this one.
Hartlepool's Ryan Donaldson (Ankle), Kenton Richardson (Collarbone), Aaron Cunningham (Knee) have all been ruled out of action for this match-up Pools will be without Michael Ledger after the defender suffered a setback in his recovery from injury.
Whilst Chris Magnay will face his suspension for this game, Hartlepool will likely be welcoming back to the side Rhys Oates after his thigh strain injury.
Woking's star youngster Lazar Stoksavljevic will likely be returning for this one after missing game time due to a concussion.
The Cardinals will also welcome back defender Matt Young after his suspension was fulfilled in their last game, from the red card he picked up a fortnight ago.
Andy's Prediction: Hartlepool 0 - 1 Woking
Credit to The Northern Echo for the imagery used in this article.