Depleted Pool must battle on, says Turner
Aug 11 2010 by Mark Douglas, The Journal
CHRIS Turner has admitted there is "no chance" of strengthening his threadbare Hartlepool United side - despite being hit by a crippling new injury to player of the year Neil Austin.
Pool take on Sheffield United in the first round of the Carling Cup tonight looking to build on a mightily encouraging opening-day draw with newly promoted Rochdale.
But some of the enthusiasm generated by that goalless draw has been dampened by a knee ligament injury that will leave Austin on the sidelines for a month.
With Adam Boyd and James Brown both struggling with their own knee injuries it has left Pool’s squad looking precarious – but Turner knows he won’t be able to add to it. “We have no chance of bringing anyone in. It’s just not going to happen,” Turner said.
“It does make it difficult for us because at the moment we haven’t got a squad of sufficient quality or size to fight at the top of the division. We’re in with a batch of clubs below that who we are as good as, in my opinion.
“It’s a small squad, though, and we know that with three or four injuries to key players we’re going to be struggling a bit.
“We may try and do loans a bit further down the line but at the moment that’s not going to happen.”
Although Turner has made no progress on the recruitment front he is optimistic about taking on the Blades, and is eyeing another famous Carling Cup night at Victoria Park.
Hartlepool put Premier League West Brom to the sword two seasons’ ago and ran Burnley close last year – giving Turner plenty of reason for optimism.
“We have a decent recent record in this competition and although Sheffield United are a good side there is no reason why we can’t give them a really good game,” he said.
“I think it helps to be playing them when we’re playing them. Teams a bit higher up the leagues are not quite fully at it at this time of the season so you do sometimes catch them off guard a little bit.
“We’re expecting a big challenge against them, but our players know that we can make it tough against them.”
Turner will also resist the temptation to rest players with their first home game of the season against Swindon Town on Saturday.
“We’ll go in with the strongest team possible. It won’t change the way we think about things,” he said.
