Dave Jones comes home to South Wales for his first official match in charge of Hartlepool United.
The former Bluebirds manager still lives in the Cardiff area and it’s fitting that his opening fixture is against Newport County at Rodney Parade (3pm).
Jones and fellow ex-Cardiff City coaches Kevin Cooper and Alex Armstrong form the management team at Hartlepool and he says: “We all still live down there – we’re up from Cardiff.”
The Scouser has been in charge at League Two United this week and, while Pools won 2-0 against Stevenage before Jones took up his role, not everything has gone as well as he would have hoped.
“I was locked into the ground one night – the groundsman decided he would lock up and go home,” Jones told the club’s official website.
Geordie striker Michael Chopra, who is a free agent, has been training with Hartlepool since Jones was appointed and there has been talk of him signing a short-term contract, but the manager has not made any comment this week.
Jones, though, is likely to be without Billy Paynter with an Achilles strain, while Nathan Thomas, who has had a groin problem.
County are bottom of the table, but have been heartened by back-to-back draws which ended a run of eight successive defeats.
Manager Graham Westley has added 12 players to his squad this month and intends to sign one or two more before the transfer window closes early next week.
He is happy with the progress being made, particularly since the 62nd minute during their 3-1 defeat at Stevenage. County were 3-0 down at that stage, but clawed a goal back and followed that with draws against Colchester and Barnet.
“It wasn’t been a miserable run at all,” says Westley. “Over the last 210 minutes or so since we brought the new lads in it has been extremely encouraging.
“There have been a lot of positive signs from team energy to defending our goal weird more resolve and showing a sense of purpose going forward.”
Mickey Demetriou, Mitchell Rose and Ryan Bird all played 90 minutes in a midweek reserve match and Westley gave a broad hint during his pre-match press conference that the trio will all start against Hartlepool.
County are looking for their first win since November and are five points from safety at the foot of the table.
Sean Rigg has been in full training after recovering from a hamstring injury and looks set to return for County, but Joss Labadie, Dennison Myrie-Williams, Jamie Turley and Lenell John-Lewis are all ruled out.
Westley has also said he will not consider those players he is hoping will leave County before the transfer window closes.
That includes Mark Randall, who has asked for a transfer and no longer trains with the first team.
Randall has been a regular starter, but was substituted inside the first half hour in Newport’s 0-0 draw at Barnet.
“Mark’s situation is simple,” said Westley. “In any walk of life there are circumstances where people aren’t happy.
“His second child is due in a month’s time and his partner wants to be back where her family is in Milton Keynes.
“He has family responsibilities and he wants to be back with the family and I understand that fully.”
Randall, Ben Tozer and Jack Compton are all available for transfer. They are not in Wesley’s plans and he says: “I’d sooner play the kids than the lads who are on their way out.”
Newport’s signings this month have been Ryan Bird, Mitchell Rose, Alex Samuel, Flo Bojaj, Mickey Demetriou, Craig Reid, David Pipe, Sid Nelson, Mark O’Brien, Jaanai Gordon, Aaron Williams and Michael Flynn, who re-registered as a player.
The nine players who left Rodney Parade were Jack Jebb, Josh O’Hanlon, Jon Parkin, Abdoulaye Meite, Rhys Healey, Kyle Cameron, Jordan Green, Dafydd Jones and Ben Jones.