Hartlepool United chief salutes chief executive after clocking up 262 miles in ten days

Green joined Jeff Stelling every step of the way as they walked from Victoria Park to Wembley, completing 26 miles a day over a ten-day period.

In raising over £300,000 for prostate cancer, Stelling and Green were joined by a number of football personalities along the way as they finished at Wembley Stadium on Tuesday evening.

Pools boss Hignett completed the first stretch with them – from Victoria Park to Marske via Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium on March 21.

Hignett has led Pools to back to back wins during Green’s travels and, speaking at his press conference this morning ahead of Saturday’s game with Mansfield, he said:  “The effort over ten days has been phenomenal. The money and awareness raised is brilliant – Russ is hero a now.

“Someone said for Saturday he is doing a lap of honour of the ground, well I’m not carrying him!

“It’s a fantastic effort and I can’t wait to see him. When we stopped off on the way to Orient to meet up with him on Sunday he was wasting away, he’s half the man he was. But he deserves every bit of praise thrown his way, he’ a top, top man.’’

Pools are six games unbeaten and a run of 14 points from a possible 18 has put them clear of relegation.

Midfielder Lewis Hawkins, meanwhile, has been named on a three-man shortlist for the League Two player of the month award for March.

He’s been instrumental in his best run in the team, and will keep his spot at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Hignett named the same team for the fourth successive game on Easter Monday at Orient and he said: “We’ve a clean bill of health, no injuries and it’s hard to change because the lads are playing so well, the team picks itself.

“I really thought about chancing it on Monday, but I felt they had a real good understanding how they are playing and, with the clean sheets and winning games, they deserve to stay in.

“I let them go again and the performance was not short of fantastic.’’