Paul Murray can only hope the sight of television crews setting up camp at Victoria Park will do more for his beleaguered Hartlepool United players than months of double training sessions.
With Hartlepool bottom of League Two, the prospect of facing further humiliation at the hands of non-league Blyth Spartans was far too enticing for the Friday night BBC2 schedulers to resist. If any FA Cup second-round tie screams upset ,it is this one. “It’s what the Cup’s all about, why the cameras are here,” Murray says. “Everyone wants a shock but it’s our job to make sure it doesn’t happen.”
The 38-year-old former QPR and Oldham midfielder has had a tough time since succeeding Colin Cooper in October but trusts this meeting with Evo-Stik Northern Premier League opponents can somehow jolt his struggling players back into life.
Geographically 42 miles up the coast but three rungs down football’s pyramid, Blyth have very different ideas. Tom Wade’s team know Hartlepool are staring relegation to the Conference in the face and aim to exacerbate their collective doubt.
“A lot of my players were desperate to make it as professionals but ended up rejected by League clubs,” Blyth’s manager says. “This is a chance to prove to themselves they could have done it. A group of my lads missed out on professional careers by fine margins.”
With his semi-professional squad, Wade has to tailor training sessions to suit the requirements of an eclectic band including a barman, builders, engineers and a psychology student. “It’s easy to keep their feet on the ground because they go back to work after games,” he says. “Some are on building sites, some are scaffolders, some are on oil rigs, so it’s easy for them to get back to reality.”
Playing on Friday has created a few logistical complications. “There are some lads at work on Friday but that’s how it is in non-league,” Wade says. “Their jobs are the most important thing but they’ll be off about midday so hopefully they’ll be with us by 4pm. Peter Jeffries [the goalkeeper] is a scaffolder, Matty Wade [a midfielder] makes oil platforms and Jarrett Rivers [a winger] works in a newsagents.
“There’s a couple like Matty with physically demanding jobs but I’ve spoken to the people they work for and they’ve said they’ll look after them for me on Friday morning – so fingers crossed.”
By way of marking a special occasion Blyth – whose squad also include Samuel Pérez, the brother house-mate of the Newcastle United striker Ayoze – are treating themselves to a rare hotel stop for a pre-match meal. They will pull in at a hotel near Durham and receive a reward for surviving four earlier rounds of this season’s FA Cup.
“We’ll feed the lads high-energy carbs, looking for that extra edge,” Wade says. “There’s no technical difference between us and League Two, it’s all about fitness and rest.”
Financially both clubs will benefit from the Football Association’s £72,000 live broadcast fee but for Blyth it is an opportunity to try to emulate their famous Cup run of 1977-78 when, after previously knocking out Chesterfield and Stoke City, they took Wrexham to a fifth round replay at a packed St James’ Park, and 2008-09 when they lost to Blackburn Rovers in the third round.
This latest moment in the sun also permits Wade’s former professional contingent to remind everyone of what might have been. Apart from Nathan Buddle, once a Hartlepool defender, there is Michael Richardson, formerly on Newcastle’s books as a midfielder and Jordan Watson, a left-back who impressed at Sunderland before rupturing a cruciate ligament. Jeffries not only played for Hartlepool but has been a Victoria Park season ticket holder.
“These lads have a hunger about them,” says Wade, whose side will be cheered on by 1,200 visiting fans. “They want to prove they can compete against professionals and show they’re good players.”
For Murray it is all about confirmation he is a good manager after all. His sole win in charge of Hartlepool came in the first round against East Thurrock and a second victory appears urgently required if he and his assistant Willie Donachie – who resigned as Newcastle’s reserve team manager earlier this year – are to remain in post.
“It’s a great chance for our players to do well on live television,” Murray says. “And to show me and the rest of the country what they’re really made of.”
