If the howls of anguish coming from the Soccer Saturday presenter’s chair are a little louder than normal this weekend there may be a justifiable reason for it. Hartlepool United’s 96-year grip on a Football League place is in grave peril and a defeat at Cheltenham Town, two places and four points above them in League Two, may be enough to apply the final wound with a game to spare. The club’s plight should be familiar to anybody who has regularly seen Jeff Stelling, their most visible fan, in action this season and should the worst happen at 4.50pm it is reasonable to assume the nation will soon be well apprised.
Hartlepool took steps to improve their chances of survival this week but Stelling has found himself implicated in their decision. On the face of things there was little surprise, particularly in the context of a scattergun hiring strategy in recent years, when the unpopular Dave Jones – who had only been appointed on 18 January – was removed from his position on Monday. The team had taken only 13 points from his 17 games in charge; Jones had made a poor impression all round and a dire 2-0 home defeat by Barnet last Saturday was the cue for an urgent round of discussions among the club’s board, who opted to cut the cord.
Related: So you've been relegated from League Two. What happens next? | Martin Belam
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