Chris Young's tour diary THREE months without watching anyone

Tag : Ladies' Clogs
al hope of 'this is the year' returns.

This year's pre-season tour may have swapped the land of clogs,herbal tobacco and here-to-help ladies for a country of sweatysocks who enjoy the occasional swally, but it's not all bad.

The best thing about pre-season friendlies is you can cast your eyeover the new signings and at least there's a couple that Pools fanscan see in action.

Both Alan Power and Ritchie Jones were typically shy youngfootballers when interviewed last week but the latter certainlywasn't holding anything back when he took to the running track.

The Pools squad were given the not too envious task of running four1,000 metre races in a row, with just five minutes rest in between,as fitness coach Dan Lewis put them through a torrent of drills.

The early leader, unsurprisingly, was Michael Mackay who was doinghis best impression of Forest Gump on steroids.

But Jones was soon making his mark as he galloped away from thefield like a young Steve Ovett with a touch more hair.

If he can show similar ability on the ball in the next few days,Pools may well have found themselves a bargain.




TALKING of being in shape, Pools captain Ritchie Humphreys lookedin good nick when he returned to Maiden Castle.

Humps could well be in with a shout of becoming a travel writerafter two trips to south-east Asia during his summer break.

First, the Pools player of the century was doing his bit to promotethe club in Malaysia and he followed that up with a honeymoonaround the overgrown roads of Cambodia.

Apparently Humphreys ditched the Western haunts of McDonalds andKFC in favour of sampling some of the local scran.

The diet of scorpions and tarantula legs certainly seems to havewonders for Humps' physique though as he was looking very trim.

Sod the Atkins, I'll have a bowl of hairy spider's legs please.


RICHARD Barker should make his return from injury in tonight's gamewith Morton.

The former Mansfield man has endured a difficult few months sincesomehow managing to contract two different injuries in the space ofthree weeks.

But Barks is back and ready to show he still has a bite.

He must have been left scratching his head though when he arrivedat Maiden Castle to help launch the club's centenary kit.

The new white strip was looking very smart