Tony Sweeney - goal

By Charlie Summerbell
July 14 2009

Like all good guests, Hartlepool returned the hospitality of their Dutch hosts Volendam with a couple of gifts as they got their pre-season campaign off to a losing start on Monday, and Chris Turner has warned the players to expect more of the same when they play another Second Division team, Cambuur, on Wednesday night.

Typical Dutch passing football reduced Pools to a bit of a shambles as they gave away two early goals and fell further behind before strikes from Antony Sweeney and Michael Mackay (right) cut the deficit. 
Pools even went close to an equalizer a couple of times, especially when new full-back Neil Austin and Richie Jones both hit the bar.
The usual “good pre-season work-out” and “the result isn’t as important as the performance” cliches were wheeled out after the game, and of course they are perfectly true.
Volendam are allegedly further down the road to match fitness than Pools and play in a higher grade of football, so a 3-2 defeat is no great disgrace.
But Turner will be hoping he gets just as much out of the Cambuur game, when Sam Collins and James brown, who were not risked against Voldendam, will get a game.
There will also be a game for new signing Jon Andre Fredriksen, the left-sided midfielder who joined Pools from Norwegian side Sarpsborg this week.

There was a debut against Volendam for left back Thomas Ulvestad Vacas, who plays for Norwegian side Aasane. He didn’t do badly, and deserves another game to see if he can solve the club’s No.3 problem.