With a place in the fifth round at stake, both teams will take to the field at a sold out Selhurst Park this weekend with the visitors bringing their fair share of fans to London for this FA Cup tie.
DATE
5th February 2022
KICK OFF
3pm
VENUE
Selhurst Park, Holmesdale Road, London SE25 6PU
LAST TIME
The two clubs have only faced each other 11 times, the last of which was a League Cup tie at Selhurst in 2004 where Palace needed extra time to defeat Hartlepool. Tom Soares came off the bench to score the winner in extra time after the Eagles went behind to an Eifion Williams strike. Dougie Freedman popped up equalise to force extra time.
OFFICIALS
Referee – Peter Bankes, Assistant Referees – James Mainwaring & Steven Meredith, Fourth Official – Gavin Ward, VAR – John Brooks, AVAR – John Brooks
TEAM NEWS
PALACE – Wilfried Zaha is not expected to feature after his return from the AFCON while Cheikhou Kouyate remains in Cameroon after Senegal reached the final during the week. James McArthur may get some game time as he works his way back to full fitness but James Tomkins is not available due to injury.
HARTLEPOOL – Nicky Featherstone is suspended after seeing red last weekend so centre back Gary Liddle is expected to take the armband.
FORM GUIDE
Last FIVE meetings between the two sides;
- 21/09/04 Palace 2-1 Hartlepool
- 02/01/93 Hartlepool 1-0 Palace
- 08/10/91 Palace 6-1 Hartlepool
- 25/09/91 Hartlepool 1-1 Palace
- 07/01/78 Hartlepool 2-1 Palace
Last FIVE results for Palace:
- 23/01/22 Palace 1-3 Liverpool
- 14/01/22 Brighton 1-1 Palace
- 08/01/22 Millwall 1-2 Palace
- 01/01/22 Palace 2-3 West Ham
- 28/12/21 Palace 3-0 Norwich
Last FIVE results for Hartlepool;
- 29/01/22 Exeter 0-0 Hartlepool
- 25/01/22 Hartlepool 2-2 Charlton
- 22/01/22 Hartlepool 1-1 Stevenage
- 18/01/22 Carlisle 0-0 Hartlepool
- 15/01/22 Bristol Rovers 2-0 Hartlepool
RECORD AGAINST HARTLEPOOL
- Played 11
- Won 5
- Drawn 2
- Lost 4
ONE TO WATCH
OMAR BOGLE
FORMER CLUBS – West Bromwich Albion, Birmingham City, Celtic, Hinckley United, Solihull Moors, Grimsby Town, Wigan Athletic, Cardiff City, Peterborough United (loan), Birmingham City (loan), Portsmouth (loan), ADO Den Haag (loan), Charlton Athletic, Doncaster Rovers
Having been on the books as a youth player at West Brom, Birmingham and Celtic, it was Solihull Moors where he made his name with 62 goals in 111 games. He moved to Grimsby Town and had similar success but he has moved from club to club since leaving the Mariners in 2017 until having a decent spell at Doncaster Rovers in 2021. Bogle joined Hartlepool last month and will be looking to make an immediate impact.
KEY CLASH
JEAN-PHILIPPE MATETA v GARY LIDDLE
With a goal in the third round to see off Millwall and celebrating a permanent deal with the Eagles, JPM will be keen to repay that faith shown in him with a goal or two. He will likely be up against veteran centre back Gary Liddle who is currently in his second spell at Hartlepool and will relish the chance of going up against the Frenchman.
PRE-MATCH FACTS
- Hartlepool have won their last 3 FA Cup matches
- All of the last 5 matches between the two clubs have been in the cup
- Hartlepool have won with a 1 goal margin in their last 3 FA Cup matches
- Palace are 4 games unbeaten against Hartlepool
- The two clubs have drawn each other twice in the FA Cup which were both at and won by Hartlepool (1978,, 1993)
- Hartlepool have not won any of their last 5 matches
OPPOSITION VIEW – The Town Ender
If you said to any Poolie fan four years ago – whilst on the brink of extinction and floundering in the fifth tier of English football – that Hartlepool United would be in mid-table of League Two, one game away from Wembley in the EFL Trophy and are facing a lucrative fourth round tie in the FA Cup against Premier League side Crystal Palace, they would have laughed you off! But as is football, here we are! Whilst we may be a club in the shadows of Newcastle, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough, one thing isn’t disputed is the passion and the loyalty of our fanbase. With almost five thousand Pool fans making the journey, this game isn’t about progression to the next round, it is an opportunity to showcase and celebrate how far we have come as a club – on and off the pitch. Although our league form has plateaued somewhat, the same cannot be said for our ability to progress in this seasons’ domestic cups. To the Palace fans thinking we will be an easy task to overcome – we’ve already beaten seven sides in the division above! Nonetheless, I think I can speak on behalf of the majority of the Poolie contingent in the sense that if we lose by less than a three goal margin, it will be a success!
DID YOU KNOW?
Residents of Hartlepool are affectionately known as Monkey Hangers. Legend has it that in the early 1800s during the Napoleonic Wars, a ship was wrecked off Hartlepool. All were lost except for a monkey who somehow made it to shore. Having never seen a monkey, residents believed the poor creature to be a French spy and promptly hanged it there and then on the beach. The name has stuck and, in somewhat macabre fashion, a hanging monkey has even become the club’s emblem and mascot.
PREDICTION
There is always an element of the unknown in games like these as it is difficult to predict the line ups each manager will go for, as they always have one eye on the league. Having said that, both sides look free to have a go in this cup tie and in front of a packed crowd, this could be a case of rolling back the years for all to experience a good old fashioned FA Cup tie. We are expecting Palace to have too much for the visitors but this competition and shocks go hand in hand so the hosts need to be extremely wary if they are to get to the fifth round.
FINAL SCORE: 3-1 to Palace
BETTING ODDS
- Home – 1/10
- Draw – 7/1
- Away – 22/1
- Both teams to score – 15/8
RESOURCES
