By Albatross
September 21 2004

Hartlepool United travel to take on Crystal Palace in the second round of the Carling Cup. Can we spring a surprise at Selhurst Park, or will the Eagles soar that little bit too high for us? Neither manager is taking the fixture lightly, and that is probably to Pools' disadvantage. Palace improved out of sight after Iain Dowie took over as Manager partway through last season, and although Cooper and Dowie have had their differences (notably in last year's LDV game between Pools and Oldham), the Pools boss has not been slow to praise his opposite number's achievements in the build-up to the game. As most expected, the Eagles are struggling this season with just a single point to their name - against Norwich, another promoted side - despite having only played one of the real top teams in Chelsea. Defeats to Everton, Portsmouth, Middlesbrough and on Saturday Man City in addition to Chelsea leave them bottom of the Premier and in danger of being cast adrift unless results improve soon; but it should be noted that they have scored in every game except the defeat to Mourinho's expensively assembled squad and have yet to suffer a real hammering - Palace are not falling short by too much.

The real question as far as our hopes of progressing are concerned is what sort of side Dowie will put out. A full stength Palace side would almost certainly be too much for us, especially given our own weakened state - and a confidence boosting win may be a carrot that is just too tempting for Dowie to ignore. However, if he plays some of his fringe players then he can protect the people he thinks may be vital in the fight to stay in the Premier. Certain players might well not appear tonight - striker Andy Johnson has a calf injury and may miss out, Neil Shipperly is suspended, and Mark Hudson is also an injury doubt and is unlikely to be risked. Dowie though is talking about making only a couple of changes, and is not underestimating Pools - he's quoted as saying "we will pay Hartlepool the utmost respect."

As far as Pools are concerned, injuries and departures mean that Neale Cooper has little option other than to play his strongest side. Barron was on the bench despite not being fully fit on Saturday, and with concerns over Porter and Robson as well Cooper will be hoping that Martin Woods, who had such an impact as a sub on Saturday, will be cleared to play by Leeds. There's no chance of our other loanee Alan Pouton playing though - he's cup-tied after appearing in Gillingham's first round defeat by Northampton.

To be honest I can't see this as a game we have much chance of winning. Dowie doesn't seem to be taking this competition as lightly as others have in the past, we're still missing important players in the likes of Robertson and Ross - and have others not fully fit. I think we'll give a good account of ourselves, but will go down 2-0 at Selhurst Park. More important as far as I'm concerned is that we don't pick up any more injuries - let's hope that everyone comes through unscathed.