Nish - facing op?

By Charlie Summerbell
November 16 2011

As if the season hadn't taken a big enough turn for the worst at Hartlepool United, two players facing knee operations is the sort of news the club could have done without as Mick Wadsworth tries to halt the recent slide.

In fact, slide is probably not a strong enough word to describe the sudden loss of form, a loss that has seen Pools ion freefall down the League One table and dumped out of the FA Cup at the first attempt.

The goodwill generated amongst the fans by the summer season ticket initiative has probably largely been eroded by now, and with Colin Nish and Colin Larkin both facing the possibility of knee surgery and long absences, the prospects are hardly looking very bright.

Pools go to Scunthorpe on Saturday to face a side struggling to come to terms with their latest relegation and the loss of their manager Nigel Adkins to Southampton just over a year ago.

Wadsworth says the potential loss of Nish and Larkin is a huge double blow, but the club has plenty of other strikers on the books – all the boss has to do is get them to score goals.

In fact, he has been tinkering with the attack all season and on current form it appears that a pairing of Andy Monkhouse and James Poole is the best bet for success.

James Brown is again struggling with injury and Adam Boyd can’t hit the consistency he and the club would like.

Going to Scunthorpe is not an easy game, even though the Iron have not started the season well and are five points behind mid-table Pools on 18.

However, the away record is a good one ... it’s vital it’s gets even better this weekend.