Match Preview: Hartlepool United v Sunderland - Final step before the real business begins!

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Monday 25th July 2022

Hartlepool United v Sunderland

Friendly

The Suit Direct Stadium

Kick-Off: 19:00

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Tickets & Match Coverage

Tickets: Tickets are available here.

TV/Stream: Full live match coverage is available here.

Radio: Full live match commentary available via BBC Radio Newcastle (not online)

Don’t forget to follow the blow-by-blow account of the game on the Roker Report Twitter feed (@RokerReport) and check out the player ratings after the full-time whistle at www.RokerReport.com!

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The build-up...

Has pre-season given Alex Neil the information he needed ahead of the opening day? Probably.

Although we all want to win every game, if we had coasted to victory in every fixture this summer then it could well have papered over some of the cracks.

Tonight, it’s likely that many of the fringe players will get a last chance to force their way into Alex Neil’s plans for Sunday’s opener at the Stadium of Light. It may also provide a few clues as to last minute possibilities the manager might be looking at with a view to take three points against Coventry.

Results aren’t everything during pre-season, but it would be nice to gain a bit of confidence with a win going into next weekend.

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Last time we met... at Victoria Park

Saturday 14th July 2018

Friendly

Victoria Park

Hartlepool United 1-1 Sunderland

[Muir 20’ - Kimpioka 90’]

Sunderland: McLaughlin (Stryjek), Matthews, Flanagan (Taylor), Love, Hume, Gooch (Nelson), Cattermole (Robson), McGeouch (Mumba), McManaman (Kimpioka), Honeyman (Molyneux), Maja (Maguire)

Hartlepool United: Loach (Catterick), Richardson (Hawkins), Davies (Laing), Donaldson (Woods), Kitching, Anderson (Kioso), Magnay (Miller), Newton (Featherstone), Noble (Munns), Hawkes (Gioukoudis), Muir (James)

Attendance: 3,734

Photo by Ian Horrocks/Sunderland AFC via Getty Images

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Played for both...

Tommy Miller

Miller began his career with Hartlepool where he spent four years as a first team player before gaining a big move to George Burley’s Ipswich Town in 2001 for £750,000.

The attacking midfielder spent another four years at Portman Road ahead of his move to the team he supported as a boy when Mick McCarthy brought him to the Stadium of Light in 2005.

As Sunderland were relegated the move didn’t quite work out and in 2007 Miller returned to Ipswich where he had another two years. Spells at Sheffield Wednesday, Huddersfield Town, Swindon Town and Bury followed before a return to Hartlepool in 2014.

Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images