HARTLEPOOL United’s impressive start to the season has left a number of players champing at the bit. Now Mick Wadsworth is hoping some can take their chance at home to Wycombe Wanderers today.

The Teessiders trimmed their squad numbers this summer, releasing 10 players and bringing in four (out-of-contract Stephen Wright has since joined too). Despite that, Wadsworth has somehow conjured a squad which feels stronger than last season’s.

With Nolberto Solano out for two or three weeks with a hamstring injury, and more changes possible after Hartlepool’s unbeaten start to League One ended in back-to-back defeats, that depth could come in handy this afternoon.

Summer signing James Poole is in line to replace Solano today, as he did at Meadow Lane on Sunday, after scoring four for the reserves at Bradford City in midweek.

Evan Horwood is another pushing for a recall at left-back, while former Sunderland defender Wright, Andy Monkhouse and Nathan Luscombe might again have to settle for places on the bench.

“We’ve got people pushing for places,” said Wadsworth (pictured right). “We’ve got good players now and when you look on the bench there are players there you think can make a difference.”

Ex-Carlisle United and Gretna full-back Horwood has impressed from the bench recently, and Wadsworth admitted he does not get much peace when the man he managed in the Scottish Premier League is on the sidelines.

“He’s a chirpy chappy at the best of times,” he commented.

“It’s only a couple of weeks ago he came on and won us the game at Bournemouth.

“I’m sure he’ll be back in the side soon and he will have an important part to play.”

The main cause of the Hartlepool-born player’s frustration at the moment is the versatile Ritchie Humphreys, a regular starter having played a bit-part last term.

“The thing with Ritchie is he’s had a really good summer and a good pre-season,” Wadsworth said of his player-coach. “The previous summer he had a little bit of a procedure on his knee.

“At that age (33) a good pre-season is absolutely vital.” Today’s will be an important game at Victoria Park following Hartlepool’s first major setback of the campaign.

“We had a real bad result on Sunday (losing 3-0 at Notts County live on Sky) but we mustn’t let that be too negative a thing because we’ve had a really good start to the season,” Wadsworth stressed. “I think we will be ready.

“It was our first really poor display. Against Sheffield Wednesday (a 1-0 home defeat the previous week) it could have gone either way.

“Last week was really disappointing. It was a poor performance throughout the team, and I include myself in that.

“All the players were in on Monday and we talked about it then, but it hasn’t been mentioned since.

“But we haven’t gone from a good team to a bad one overnight. It’s not easy to keep a winning run going, or turn around a losing run, so Saturday’s a big game for us. The players are in good spirits.

“The fans will be disappointed, but I know they will be patient.

“They will be with me and the players, I’m sure.”

Former Newcastle winger Solano missed four early-season games with a hamstring problem, but returned to play a major part in a five-game winning streak.

“Nobby will be out for a while. It’s in a different part to last time, a similar injury though and it’s disappointing,” Wadsworth reflected.

“He will get on with it and the physio department will get him back as soon as possible.

“It’s not too bad a tear and we are looking at two or three weeks from now.”

Although close to a return, Colin Larkin will not feature against the Chairboys.