Hartlepool Say Thanks & ‘C’ England In Salford

It hasn’t been a season that will stay long in the memory for Hartlepool United supporters with the club firmly placed mid-table in the National League and having undergone an unusual round of managerial musical chairs earlier on in the year when Richard Money came in as boss, briefly swapped roles with director of football Craig Hignett and then left the club altogether.

But the bigger picture is that the club is still there at all, hopefully providing a force for good within the local community.

Last season's fixture against Wrexham was designated as 'Save Pools Day’ amidst the crisis engulfing the club and as a thank you to supporters from both teams prices for the meeting on Saturday 23 March have been reduced.

It will be £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £2 for Under 16’s.

Hartlepool's Luke James meanwhile will be part of the England C squad who take on Wales on Tuesday 19 March at the Peninsula Stadium, home of Salford City FC.

England C is the team drawn from players outside of the Football League, giving them the chance of winning caps and pulling on the Three Lions shirt.

 

A number of those who have had that opportunity previously have gone on to play in the Football League and Premier League.

 

Watford striker Andre Gray is one such player. He appeared six times for England C while with Luton Town.

 

Current boss Paul Fairclough has been in charge since 2003 and has managed to constantly refresh the nature of the squad with young players, not just from the National League but from the divisions below and see how they fare in a different environment, something of interest certainly to prospective new clubs at a higher level.

 

An excellent article by Matt Badcock in The Non-League Paper recently highlights how the England C team has evolved over the past few years to take on a more ambassadorial nature, representing the Football Association at home and abroad.

 

Admission to the game against a Wales side drawn from the ranks of clubs in the Welsh Premier League, will be £10 Adults and £5 Concessions, payable at the turnstiles on the night.

Hartlepool United FC

Pools have featured on the Affordable Football pages before with reduced prices for games at Victoria Park but it has usually been as a rallying cry ahead of a big six-pointer at the foot of League Two.

They may be a division lower these days but there is plenty of optimism in place as Craig Harrison's side slowly put together a promotion bid in the National League.

Fans seem to be enjoying the opportunity of seeing some new grounds as away supporters have been travelling in good numbers and the club want to recreate the positive atmosphere at home this weekend.

Tickets for the match against Aldershot on Saturday have been reduced to £10 Adults, £5 Concessions and £1 Under-16's and if you buy in advance you will get the same prices for the visit of Halifax Town on Tuesday 21 November.

And, they may hope it is their only season in Non-League football but that won't stop Hartlepool hoping to lift the FA Trophy at Wembley on Sunday 20 May.

Tickets are on sale for the third Non-League Finals Day, which combines both the Trophy and FA Vase showpieces, priced at £25 for Adults, £10 Concessions and just £1 for Under-16's.

Fiver Football at Hartlepool United

Hartlepool United were under no illusions about how tough life in the National League was going to be after their dramatic relegation from League Two last season and August provided confirmation of that, defeats against Dover Athletic, Maidenhead United, AFC Fylde and Bromley making it a baptism of fire for new manager Craig Harrison after he made the step up from The New Saints.

Loyal supporters made long trips to Maidenhead and Bromley but the shorter journey to Guiseley on Bank Holiday Monday finally delivered some cheer with a hard-fought first victory of the campaign.

Maidstone United are the visitors to Victoria Park this coming Saturday and, to thanks fans after a 'frustrating month', the club have reduced prices to £5 Adults and £1 for Under-16's, prices which apply to travelling supporters as well.

Keep an eye out for your local club this weekend to see if they are doing any offers for the international break.

Premier League and EFL season ticket holders who head to Chorley on Saturday for the National League North game against York City can watch for the concessionary price of £9 while Bath City are offering £8 admission to Bristol City and Bristol Rovers season ticket holders as they take on Welling United.

Reduced Prices at Hartlepool United This Week

After their 'great escape' from the League Two relegation zone last season, Hartlepool United are again involved in a scrap for Football League survival with two big home matches this week against their rivals in the bottom six.

Hartlepool are currently one place and four points above the drop zone although postponements mean they do have games in hand on all of the teams around them.
Stevenage (currently 19th) are the visitors on Tuesday night before Yeovil (21st) make the long journey north on Saturday.

As they did for some crucial fixtures last season, Hartlepool have made the decision to reduce admission prices late in the day in a bid to boost the numbers coming through the Victoria Park turnstiles.

That means adults will pay £12 and concessions £6 for each of this week's games with chief executive Russ Green telling the official club website: "Our fans have stuck with us through some testing times and we want to make sure we reward them for that loyalty and help them out during busy periods like this."

Both offers are open to away supporters as well.

Aldershot Town, Hartlepool United

Two home games coming up for Aldershot Town at the EBB Stadium, starting with the FA Trophy tie against Eastleigh this coming Saturday.

Admission has been reduced for the all-National League tie to £12 Adults, £10 Concessions and £4 Juniors and anyone attending will get the same prices for the league game against Guiseley the following Saturday.

Under-11’s admission remains free with a paying adult.

Hartlepool United, meanwhile, will attempt to see off Salford City at the second attempt when they replay their FA Cup tie on Tuesday 15 December at 7:45pm

Ticket prices have been reduced to £10 Adults and £5 Concessions (Over-60, Under-16 and Student) while Season Ticket Holders who travelled to the first game will be given a complimentary ticket for the replay on production of their stub.

Saturday Update: A Good Day For Jeff & Hartlepool!

Hartlepool United's potential 'Great Escape' from the League Two trapdoor is well and truly on after a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Mansfield Town on Saturday afternoon, a result that had Jeff Stelling in raptures as plenty of videos on social media have been showing over the past few hours!

In the wake of back-to-back away wins at Morecambe and Oxford, Hartlepool decided to cut prices for the game to a maximum of £12 for adults and were rewarded with a gate of 4,166 with 317 travelling up from Mansfield making it 3,849 supporting the hosts.

3,289 had attended the last Saturday home fixture against Burton Albion, 3,129 of them home fans.

Cambridge are next up at The Vic, on Saturday 28th March, more offers in the pipeline?

Big Game, Small Prices At Hartlepool United This Weekend

Two excellent away victories in the space of four days, at Morecambe and then Oxford United, have sparked hopes of a great escape for Hartlepool United who looked dead and buried at the foot of League Two when Ronnie Moore took over as manager before Christmas.

But the experienced former Rotherham United and Tranmere Rovers manager has got a number of teams (including Tranmere) very worried about an upturn in form that sees Hartlepool just four points from safety ahead of Saturday's home game against Mansfield Town.

And to try and boost the attendance and atmosphere at Victoria Park for the 3pm kick-off, ticket prices have been reduced to £12 Adults and £6 Concessions for seats and £10/£5 for the terraces.

Sportingly, the offer applies to Stags supporters making the journey up and tickets are available up until kick-off.

Hartlepool United Repeat Cut-Price Ticket Offer

Having kicked off their ownership of Hartlepool United FC by offering reduced price tickets for the festive games against Oxford United and Morecambe, TMH 2014 are offering further discounts for the January fixtures against Cheltenham Town and Plymouth Argyle.

The club were pleased with the 4,000+ gates they attracted over Christmas and have announced that the two matches (Cheltenham this Saturday and Plymouth on 31 January) will be priced at £13 each for adults and £7 for concessions with a joint ticket covering both games costing £20 for adults and £10 for concessions.

Chairman Peter Harris told the official club website: “We have said all along that the fans can play a huge role in our fight for survival in League Two and we are going to need them more than ever in the second half of the season."

A New Start At Hartlepool United

New owners, a new manager and (hopefully) a new start for Hartlepool United after a whirlwind couple of weeks at Victoria Park

FA Cup defeat at the hands of Blyth Spartans and a relegation battle at the foot of League Two have made it a miserable campaign to date with two managers having already departed the club.

But this week has brought some fresh optimism as Aberdeen-based owners Increased Oil Recovery have ended their 17-year association with HUFC by selling the club to TMH 2014 Limited.

New chairman Peter Harris has made clear he wants to 'fully embrace and acknowledge the efforts of the supporters and we want them to engage with us with the aim of always doing what is best for Hartlepool United.'

And the first instance of this is a ticket offer covering the home games on Saturday 20th December against Oxford United (which will be Ronnie Moore's first match in charge) and Sunday 28th December when Morecambe are the visitors.

Tickets for these games are available at just £10 each for adults but, if purchased in advance, a ticket covering both fixtures will cost just £15.

Those who have already bought tickets for the game can also claim a refund from the Ticket Office by returning their full match ticket.

Update - Friendlies & Hartlepool United

Hartlepool United's 'Follow Your Hart' campaign, with adult season tickets priced at £180, has been a great success and with the early bird deadline just days away the club have reached the 2,000 mark for summer sales.

Colin Cooper has been busy in the transfer market over the past few weeks and if he can coax a good season out of the old warhorse that is Marlon Harewood then an exciting campaign may be in store for those who have put their faith in Hartlepool's well-priced offer.

Pre-season wise, FC Halifax Town have friendlies against four Football League teams in the shape of Barnsley, Rochdale, Preston North End and Notts County and adult tickets for each game are priced at £8.

AFC Fylde take on Rochdale, Wrexham and a Bolton Wanderers XI before the campaign begins in earnest and adult tickets for those games are £6 each.

Exeter City have a joint ticket available for their games against Swansea City and local rivals Torquay United from £12 for adults.

Full details on the various club websites.

Update - Grimsby & Hartlepool

Season ticket sales are going well at two of the clubs we have looked at here on Affordable Football in recent weeks.

Grimsby Town pegged prices at last season's levels while also cutting prices for over 75's. An update on the club's official website on Monday showed that 279 season tickets have been sold to date against 214 at the same time last year with income up by £9,000.

Hartlepool United's offer of a £180 adult season ticket, meanwhile, has seen strong interest at the League Two club with 1,220 tickets sold as of Friday 6 June.

Good news for both clubs and always interesting to see the difference even a handful of extra ticket sales can make at a lower level.

Season Ticket Update: Hartlepool & Dagenham and Redbridge

Two League Two clubs whose season ticket offers we highlighted here on Affordable Football earlier in the month were Hartlepool United and Dagenham and Redbridge.

Both clubs are working hard to get more people buying season tickets with an adult terrace ticket available for the Daggers at £179 which works out at £7.78 a game. The early bird offer ends on May 30. Faced with falling home attendances and intense competition in their patch of the country the club issued a statement early in April in which they made clear the reasons for cutting prices and set a target of 1,000+ season ticket sales by the end of May.

Hartlepool's 'Follow Your Hart' campaign sees season tickets on sale for £180 for adults if purchased before 8 July. Last Wednesday (May 14) the club reported a strong start to sales as they look to build on the success of two price-cutting initiatives towards the end of last season which saw excellent attendances.

Further details are on the official club websites of the two clubs.

Under £8 a Match at Hartlepool too!

I wrote a week or so ago that Dagenham & Redbridge were looking to increase season ticket numbers with an early-bird offer which worked out at just £7.78 for every match of a 23-game League Two campaign.

In a similar vein, Hartlepool United are offering adult season tickets from as low as £180 (£7.83 per game) for 2014/15 with further discounts for Students, Senior Citizens, Under-19's and Under-13's. To qualify for the early bird discount tickets must be purchased before 4pm on Tuesday 8 July.

Chief Executive Russ Green told the official club website: “As ever, in order for these prices to work financially we need as many people as possible to get behind the Club and come along and join us for 2014/15.

"I would like to think that there have been enough signs of encouragement on the pitch this season to entice people to join us next year and the more support we get the better chance we’ll have of success."

The 'Follow Your Hart' offer comes on the back of two recent 'Pack the Park' offers where tickets were reduced to £5 for the games against Morecambe and Exeter City and crowds of over 4,700 were attracted (against a season average of 3,723).

More Survival Offers as Blackpool Send an Army to Wigan!

A recent post here on Affordable Football highlighted a trio of Bank Holiday ticket deals from clubs fighting against relegation from their respective divisions.

Birmingham City, Notts County and Bristol Rovers all put various deals in place for their home games on Monday although it was only Notts who could claim to have benefitted from a partisan home crowd as they gained a crucial victory against Crawley at Meadow Lane.

One offer we missed was Hartlepool's 'Pack the Park' £5 ticket initiative and a bumper crowd was praised for their impact by manager Colin Cooper in a crucial win against Morecambe.

“I think we got around 1,500 more than we have been which is great and if we’ve done something to encourage some of those to come back then it’s all the better."

The battle for survival continues up and down the country and Blackpool are offering up to 3,000 season ticket holders a free ticket for their Lancashire derby at Wigan Athletic on Saturday afternoon. The club's Supporters' Association is also providing free travel to the game.

Wycombe Wanderers are offering a family ticket for £25 as they entertain Bristol Rovers in a crunch game at the foot of League Two while Under-16's can attend for free with a paying adult for Chester City's home game against Salisbury City (kick-off 5:30pm) with the home side knowing a win will secure their Conference status.