Hartlepool v Crewe preview

Team news for Tuesday's League One clash between Hartlepool and Crewe at Victoria Park.

Last Updated: 25/02/13 at 18:05   

Antony Sweeney: Misses out with a knee injury

Antony Sweeney: Misses out with a knee injury

Hartlepool striker Charlie Wyke is hoping to shake off illness in time for the home game with Crewe.

Wyke, on loan from Middlesbrough, was forced off in the second half of Saturday's 2-1 win at Scunthorpe and replaced by Steve Howard.

Howard is likely to continue alongside James Poole if Wyke fails to make it.

Otherwise, manager John Hughes could name an unchanged starting line-up for the seventh game running as Pools look to extend their unbeaten league run to seven matches.

Midfielder Antony Sweeney is still struggling with a knee injury and teenage defender Jordan Richards has been ruled out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery on his knee cartilage problem.

Pools are chasing three straight league wins for the first time since September 2011 as they continue their bid to escape relegation.

Crewe manager Steve Davis has no fresh injury worries.

Defender Matt Tootle has recovered from a foot injury and is set to feature for Alex's Under-21 team at Wigan on Monday afternoon.

Max Clayton came off the bench to fire a late winner against Coventry at the weekend and is also set for further action with the second string, alongside fellow striker and trialist Nathan Ellington.

Rookie defender Jon Guthrie (groin) is Davis' only concern and the Alex boss believes managing his players' workloads effectively will be key during a busy run of fixtures.

"With the amount of games we have coming up in a short space of time, the recovery times will be important," Davis told Crewe's official website.

"We will be organising the training to make sure that the recovery is spot on. (Hartlepool) are on a little run, so it will be a tough game up there."

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League One Fixtures

Sunday, 19 May 2013
13:30
Brentford v Yeovil

npower League 1

Position Team P GD PTS
1 Doncaster 46 18 84
2 Bournemth 46 23 83
3 Brentford 46 15 79
4 Yeovil 46 15 77
5 Sheff Utd 46 14 75
6 Swindon 46 33 74
7 Leyton Or 46 7 71
8 MK Dons 46 17 70
9 Walsall 46 7 68
10 Crawley 46 1 68
11 Tranmere 46 10 67
12 Notts Co 46 12 65
13 Crewe 46 -8 64
14 Preston 46 5 59
15 Coventry 46 7 55
16 Shrewsbury 46 -6 55
17 Carlisle 46 -21 55
18 Stevenage 46 -17 54
19 Oldham 46 -13 51
20 Colchester 46 -21 51
21 Scunthorpe 46 -24 48
22 Bury 46 -28 41
23 Hartlepool 46 -28 41
24 Portsmouth 46 -18 32

Updated Sat, 27 Apr 2013

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