Hartley suspended for Pools

Hartlepool will be without suspended central defender Peter Hartley for Friday's clash at Colchester.

Hartley will serve a one-game ban following his dismissal for two yellow-card offences in last week's home defeat to Sheffield United and his absence could mean a rare start for Steven Haslam. Manager Neale Cooper is not expected to risk teenage striker Luke James, who returned to action last week for the first time in over a month due to a back problem and was replaced after 73 minutes. Another striker, James Poole, has been told to rest after undergoing another epidural injection in a bid to resolve a troublesome hamstring injury and while Colin Larkin is making steady progress following knee surgery, he is a week away from a return to full training. Nolberto Solano remains unavailable due to illness and forward Colin Nish (knee) is out for the rest of the season.