He may still be a Smog Monster at heart, but Mowbray is the acceptable side of Smoggyism, if there is such a thing, and his team played some good stuff when they won promotion last season.
The other refreshing point is that the West Brom fans won't be coming to the Vic crowing about what they are going to do to Pools and the signs are that whatever the result, they'll be a canny bunch.
A bit like their neighbours from Walsall, then.
Pools are without injured Willie Boland, but that gives a chance to Alan Power, who is desperate to stake a claim on a regular first team place.
So it could be an entertaining night, but off the pitch there is a big question: will Ken Hodcroft let the Mail and the Northern Echo in?
The Pools chairman has banned both local papers, and neither of them has so far chosen to even mention the fact in their pages or on their websites.
That suggests they are scared of him.
Surely that can't be true, can it?
So presumably the banned reporters will be covering the game from the terraces, but how long is that state of affairs going to continue?
Local papers have often been banned by clubs in the past, but it's unusual for more than one to be shown the door at the same time.
Watch this space - noboy else seems to be bothering to mention the matter.

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