Hartlepool sweating on fitness of James Martin

Posted Thursday, December 29, 2016 by PA

Hartlepool boss Craig Hignett will make a late decision on the fitness of James Martin ahead of Friday night's Sky Bet League Two clash with Morecambe.

Full-back Martin has missed the last two games with a knee problem and remains a doubt as his condition is assessed.

Hignett will again be without Rob Jones and Carl Magnay (both knee) and Nathan Thomas (groin), and must decide whether or not to field an unchanged side for the third successive game.

Pool are without a win in five matches in all competitions and have taken just a single point from the last 12 on offer to slip to within two of the drop zone.

Morecambe have defender Alex Whitmore back available after he completed a four-game suspension.

Cole Stockton (knee) is set to remain sidelined, but it is expected Liam Wakefield, who missed the 1-0 Boxing Day victory at Mansfield due to a knock, will be fit to make his return to action.

Alex Kenyon still has two more matches to serve of his three-game ban.

The win at Mansfield - for which the Shrimps had only six players on the bench - was a second in three league games for Jim Bentley's 18th-placed side, who are three points and two spots better off than Hartlepool.