Heavy price of being isolated

ALAN HARDY . . . Athletic not affected by new rule on the number of subtitutes

IF ATHLETIC think they are hard done by in terms of Coca-Cola League One being a southern-dominated division, then what about Hartlepool?

Isolated in the North-East, Hartlepool find themselves in an even worse predicament than Athletic, who face travelling almost 12,000 miles to away matches.

While Athletic ponder the prospect of 14 overnight stays at a cost of £3,000 a time, the figure for Hartlepool is even higher.

“The travelling we have is incredible and the most of any of the 92 league clubs. We have planned for 19 overnight stays,” explained Hartlepool manager Chris Turner.

’Pool were also opposed to the number of substitutes being raised from five to seven because of the extra cost involved.

Turner added: “Having to take two extra players on overnight trips, plus other add-ons like bonus and appearance money, means that this rule change alone is likely to cost us an extra £15,000 over the season.

“The game is crying out for clubs to save money in the wake of falling crowds yet we are committed to spending more.

“And the change in the number of substitutes has been pointless as we can still only use three of them.

“It would have been different had we been able to use five from a possible seven.”

Athletic chief executive Alan Hardy admitted the rule change has not affected the Boundary Park club as they have always taken 18 players to away games as insurance in case anyone is injured or taken ill.

He said: “We are still taking 18 players and if we were to lose anybody then we would go with one less player on the bench.

“We favour seven substitutes because it provides an opportunity for younger players to experience what it is like in the first team.”

Turner, meanwhile, believes there is too much football.

Hartlepool played seven games in August and it would have been eight in less than a month had they not received a bye in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

He said: “It is ridiculous for clubs like ourselves who only have a small squad.

“You also have to take into account the cost to fans, especially at a time like this.

“For those who go to every game it is a large chunk of their income and it is also quite a sum even if they only go to half of them.”

Turner believes the presence of Charlton, Huddersfield, Leeds, Norwich and Southampton paints a false picture of life in League One.

“Those clubs attract big crowds and that glosses over what is happening elsewhere as most of the other clubs are struggling to survive.”