Jake Kean - top keeper

By Charlie Summerbell
December 22 2010

Do you remember when Boxing Day for Hartlepool United’s players and fans used to mean a game against Darlington, home or away? It was either a walk to the Vic and the bus home, or a run through to dear old Feethams for a pie and a shout at the Quackers.

Sadly those days are now long gone, and the best Pools can do nowadays for a festive derby match is … Huddersfield.

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM ALL AT BOX OF KIPPERS

It’s not far short of 100 miles away, but probably a lot easier to get to than Carlisle the state the roads and railways are in at the moment, and there are no noises coming from West Yorkshire at the moment to suggest the game might be off. In fact, with their undersoil heating, they are confident it will go ahead.
So getting there might pose more problems than watching the match once the journey is completed.
But both Pools and Huddersfield will be desperate for the game to go ahead.
The home team are in good form, third top and fresh from an impressive 2-0 win at Tranmere last weekend.
Managed by Geordie Lee Clark, who endeared himself to Sunderland fans while he was a temporary Mackem by wearing a t-shirt taking the p*** out of the people who paid his wages, Town have big ambitions - but never quite seem able to realise them.
Pools, meanwhile, aren’t doing badly either with one of the best away records in League One and THE best goals against column in away games – only six conceded in ten away League One fixtures.
Three of those came in a rare off day at Colchester, so clearly Pools know what they are doing in away games. Sam Collins is in great form and on-loan keeper Jake Kean really has been a wonderful find for the club.
If you doubt that, compare him to some of the rubbish keepers Pools have had on loan in the past. You know who we mean.
Mick Wadsworth doesn’t want his team to fall any further behind with fixtures after all the postponements caused by the weather and an extra one brought about by next week’s FA Cup third round trip to Watford.
Huddersfield is always a difficult place to go, but four away teams have got results at the Galpharm this season and even a draw could be regarded as an achievement.
If the game is played …