Pete Wild confirms Hartlepool United plan for National League Cup clash with Newcastle United.
Pete Wild has confirmed the National League Cup clash with Newcastle United U21s at The Vic will be treated as a first team game.
The club's new head coach is looking to quickly put a stamp on the squad in terms of creating a winning culture and environment and get his ideas across of how he wants his players to play. With all that in mind, and while he is still assessing his squad, the game with Newcastle will be treated as such with a strong first XI named.
Previously Pools had treated the games against Middlesbrough U21s - which resulted in a club record 10-0 defeat and the 1-0 loss to Everton - as development games for the club's U21 players, with a few first team players starting to comply with cup rules. But Tuesday night at The Vic will be different.
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Wild, speaking ahead of Saturday's trip to Forest Green Rovers in the National League, said: "There's a real opportunity over the next few weeks, with not just the league competitions but with the National League Cup and with the FA Cup, etc. There's real opportunity for us to try and get our point across. So for example, the National League Cup game on Tuesday will be a first team game because it's another opportunity for us to get across what we need them to do.
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"I've told all the players to really focus in, forget what's going on outside football because you've got a big six to eight weeks ahead of you - to roll your sleeves up and deal with the problem - that's now my problem as much as anybody else's and deal with the problem and help us get out of it," he told BBC Tees Sport.
He added to Red Radio: "Tuesdays - when you haven't got a Tuesday game - is the hardest day of the week. I can't imagine Newcastle 21s coming here and start trying to toe everybody and leaving horrific fouls in. I can't imagine they're going to come and do that.
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"I've got another opportunity therefore, to get my point across in a real life game, in a real life encounter where we can start to embed what we want them to do. So instead of playing 11 v 11 on the training ground, where you might not get that intensity it might not throw up that many problems - better in a real game and get all the squad together."
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