Hartlepool v Bury preview

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Hartlepool midfielder Andy Monkhouse will return to contention for the home game against Bury following suspension.

Monkhouse missed Sunday’s 2-1 win at Morecambe due to a one-game ban and was replaced by striker James Poole, while winger Nialle Rodney made his first start for the club.

Rodney stepped in for Jack Compton – he remains doubtful after missing out due to a calf injury – and could be rewarded with his full home debut against Bury.

Pools ended a run of four straight league draws on Sunday and secured their first win in eight games in all competitions.

Midfielder Danny Mayor is a doubt for Bury’s trip to Hartlepool due to a hamstring injury.

The 22-year-old picked up the strain in the 2-1 victory over York, the first of David Flitcroft’s era and a result which ensured they ended 2013 outside Sky Bet League Two’s bottom two.

Mayor was complaining of the injury at half-time and had to be substituted early in the second half of a contest for which Bury only had six substitutes with centre-back William Edjenguele omitted from the squad with a January departure looking increasingly likely.

Full-back Shaun Beeley recently had his loan cancelled and went back to Fleetwood for treatment on a hamstring tear while midfield duo Craig Jones (groin) and Tom Soares (hamstring) are again very doubtful.

Hartlepool v Bury preview

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Hartlepool are boosted by the availability of Simon Walton for the visit of the Shakers.

The club successfully appealed against the red card shown to the midfielder against MK Dons on Good Friday and he will be available for Pools’ run-in.

Boss John Hughes also hopes to have James Poole available. The striker is closing in on a return from the leg injury that has kept him out of the last three games.

His return would come as a major boost to a side who have failed to score in their last eight outings and lie at the foot of the table.

Elsewhere, midfielders Ritchie Humphreys (calf), Jack Baldwin (ankle) and Nathan Luscombe (knee) are hoping to be cleared to play but Evan Horwood and Antony Sweeney (both hamstring) remain major doubts.

Bury head into their vital League One basement clash against Hartlepool without club captain Steven Schumacher.

Schumacher, the Shakers’ top scorer this season with 10 goals, will miss the rest of the campaign having played through the pain of a hernia problem for a number of months.

The former Everton youngster has finally admitted defeat to his condition and is expected to undergo surgery next week.

Veteran defender Efe Sodje is expected to be fit having had treatment on a jaw injury he sustained when a ball struck him in the face during the 2-0 defeat to Leyton Orient.

Valery Mezague came on for Sodje midway through the second half but may have to be content with a place on the bench once more.

Boss Kevin Blackwell has winger Craig Jones (hamstring/thigh), Phil Picken (knee), Adam Lockwood (groin) and Shane Byrne (blood infection) as long-term absentees.

Hartlepool v Bury preview

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Hartlepool head coach Mick Wadsworth has no fresh injury concerns as Pools look to secure their third win on the trot and extend their unbeaten run to eight games.

Captain Sam Collins is expected to return to the starting line-up after fully recovering from a hamstring strain.

The central defender, who last started a game on August 20 against Stevenage, was introduced from the bench in last week’s win at Carlisle.

Left-back Evan Horwood has missed the last two games with a dead-leg and is not expected to recover in time to face the Shakers.

Striker James Brown, yet to make a start this season due to an ankle problem, is unwell and not likely to feature.

Meanwhile, Bury boss Richie Barker will be without defender Efe Sodje.

Sodje is suspended after collecting five yellow cards, but Barker has no fresh injury concerns.

Midfielder Steven Schumacher will return to full training on Monday and then play in a reserve game on Wednesday.

Defender Mark Hughes is a week behind Schumacher in terms of recovery and also remains sidelined as the Shakers seek to record only their third league win of the season.

The 1-0 reverse at Chesterfield on Tuesday condemned the Shakers to a fourth straight defeat and left Barker cursing his team’s lack of fortune.

He said: “We’ve got a lot of young players in the dressing room and they need to come through it pretty quickly.”