By Albatross
March 3 2006

So much for Spring! Hartlepool United are due to travel to take on Scunthorpe United at Glandford Park - but with the whole country seemingly frozen it's already been announced that there will be a 10am inspection to see if the game will go ahead. Weather permitting, Pools will face a game with a side that's in the top half but is just five points better off from one game more. It shows how tight the division is, and Scunny will want to avoid being sucked in to the scramble at the bottom at the very least.

The good news for Pools is that our opponents are far from invulnerable on their own patch. In fact, their record is almost symmetrical with an equal number of wins, draws and defeats and one more goal scored than conceded at Glandford Park. Incidentally the away end there can seem cold on the brightest of days so full Arctic Gear is probably going to be needed tomorrow....

Although they've won their last two and are unbeaten in three, their home form of late is less than impressive. Both of the wins were on their travels, and their only win in the last seven attempts at home was over the increasingly doomed looking MK Franchise.

Leading scorer by some distance is former Sheffield United man Billy Sharp; having taken something of a gamble by laying out a six figure sum on him, the Iron have had a good return as he's grabbed 20 goals - all but one in the league. Good support has come from Andy Keogh, who has 13 in all competitions but beyond that no-one is standing out on the striking front. It's a blow for Scunny then that Sharp will miss out with an ankle ligament problem that has already seen him miss the last two games - then again, the other players have rallied round and they've won both.

The injury news for Pools is that things are getting better. The hastily-arranged practice match with Gretna allowed the likes of Porter, Proctor and Robertson to stretch their legs - and get on the scoresheet - but I suspect they need more time yet, although Proctor may be an outside bet for the bench. Tommy Butler is apparently also back in contention although he played no part in midweek.

Stepho remains unbeaten, but Pools are still perilously close to the relegation zone and a real dog-fight is developing. A couple of wins would do us the world of good, and with Boyd starting to regain some form he knows that there's always a chance of grabbing something. I expect Pools to adopt the same approach as recently on our travels - keep things tight, and look to grab something on the break.

Will it work? I think there's a fair chance it will. 1-0 to Pools then, Adam Boyd to grab another, and Pools to breathe a little easier.