Match Preview

Hartlepool Rovers entertain Ponteland at the New Friarage on Saturday (kick off 2.15pm).

Ponteland arrive in town sitting in bottom place in the Durham Northumberland One table but very aware of the Whites’ recent losing run and will fancy their chances of pulling off an upset.

Rovers, on the other hand, will be desperate to halt the run of defeats and, on paper, they have no better chance-on home turf and against a side propping up the other thirteen teams. Rovers have been here before though and come a cropper and so must be wary of the threat of taking Ponteland too lightly.

The Friaragemen come into the game on the back of a 31-8 home defeat at the hands of high-flying Barnard Castle, but having played some good rugby against a very good pack and backs. Rovers should have been closer to Castle in scoring terms but only had a Callum Whitehead try and a Daz Fawcett penalty to show for their efforts.

Ian Pinchen and Dylan Langley return after missing last week’s match and Mark Burnside deputises for Liam Wood who is working.

The backline is unchanged from the Castle game meaning Taz Pelser stays at full back and Matty Stephenson at scrum half. Chrissy Harrison and James Evens have recovered from injuries sustained against Novocastrians and are named on the bench alongside Ste Cotson.

Rovers: Pelser, S Railton, S Barnfield, Gunn, A Smith, Fawcett, Stephenson, Pinchen, Ross, Lloyd, Langley, Little, Burnside, Church, Whitehead (c). Subs: C Harrison, Evens, Cotson