Committed Captain

By Mill House
July 22 2013

So what have we learnt from the weekend and the goalless draw against Boro? Well Sweeney will skipper the side, Flinders will more than likely end up at the Riverside in the next few days, and we have some decent youngsters coming along. Oh, and Stevie Howard is still here. 

Flinders was outstanding and if he hadn't been Boro would have won by three or four. He needed to be as the Pools defence allowed Boro to come on to them with Walton exposed a few times in a defensive midfield role.

That position could be a problem - as it was last season when Murray was prematurely allowed to leave

The main bright spot was the form of Bradley Walker when he came in on into the midfield in the second half. The 17 year old looks a real prospect, but it would too much to expect him to compete in the hurly burly of the second division.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of a poorly attended game was that Cooper and Hignett got a chance to see the squad in action against a decent English side for the first time. The frailties of last season were still there - no punch in attack and lapses of concentration in defence.

In among this lot let's hope there are the answers. Pools squad numbers for now ..

1 Scott Flinders

2 Neil Austin

5 Sam Collins

6 Jack Baldwin

7 Jonathan Franks

8 Simon Walton

10 James Poole

11 Andy Monkhouse

13 Andy Rafferty

14 Jack Compton

15 Antony Sweeney

16 Josh Rowbotham

17 Greg Rutherford

19 Jordan Richards

20 Dan Jones

22 Darren Holden

28 Lewis Hawkins

29 Peter Hartley

33 Luke James

37 Zak Boagey

38 Bradley Walker

39 Steve Howard