Franks - goal

By Charlie Summerbell
August 5 2012

It was super Saturday in the Olympics, and not a bad one at Victoria Park either as Hartlepool United's 1-1 friendly draw with Hull City meant they were unbeaten in three games against teams from higher up the footy ladder.

After beating Premiership Sunderland, draws with Championship pair Boro and Hull have put a smile on the face of boss Neale Cooper and the fans.

Having stuck with the same team in all three games, Cooper will hope to start the season unchanged again in next Saturday’s League Cup trip to Crewe.

After a goalless first half, Jonathan Franks gave Pools the lead, but Hull levelled through Steve Stewart in a game which turned out to be an excellent workout for the side.

Cooper told the club website he thought Pools played some good stuff against Hull and added: The shape of the team pleases me. Everyone seems to know their roles. We don’t have to over-talk things because everyone knows what they need to do.

“All the new signings have fitted in quickly. When you sign players you want to make sure you get the right ones, and I think we have that in our three – they are proving important players for the team already.”

The real test comes at Crewe.