IT may have taken a while and he’s been sorely missed, but the return of Matthew Bates to the Hartlepool United side cannot be underestimated.

The centre-half had, until Sunday’s FA Cup win over Stamford, been sidelined since the 1-1 home draw with Newport County when he suffered bone bruising.

In his absence, Pools have stuttered defensively with the calming influence of Bates and the experience and leadership of Rob Jones both sorely missed.

Jones may play in tomorrow evening’s Checkatrade Trophy game with Rochdale, while Bates will again start.

He eased his way through Sunday’s game, an outing against a part-time side proving an ideal way to step up his return.

Boss Craig Hignett said: “Batesy has been injured a while, but he’s worked hard and worked in training all last week. He cruised through it and showed what he is all about.

“Rob didn’t wasn’t to risk it and we didn’t want to see him out further.

“Bates breezed through it, his performance was so calm and nothing flusters him. He’s been a Premier League player, three cruciate injuries in each leg and that’s the only reason why he’s not in the Premier League now.

“He will push people about, get them in shape and we have missed it. Rob is a leader who shouts and screams and is more aggressive and it’s nice to have him in and around the squad.

“Rob, any doubt, and keep him for a league game. We have missed them both and go with Batesy on Wednesday, with the league game to come on Saturday.’’

And Hignett joked: “We have to manage them carefully - between then they are 86 years old! Rob trains and works like a beast and he has to be reined in.

“Batesy knows his own body, he manages himself.’’

Hignett is no fan of the rules enforced in clubs in the Checkatrade Trophy, with the Pools boss limited with the amount of alterations he can make.

He is sure to make as many changes to his side as possible for tomorrow’s dead rubber – Pools cannot qualify for the knockout stages, while Dale are already there.

The manager said: “Wednesday is next for us, I would field a completely different 11 if allowed and we will look at the rules.

“It’s a dead rubber, I pick a team for the rules with no way of getting through. The result doesn’t matter, but we have to put up with it.

“We do what we have to go and get it out of the way.

“I hope to look at a few and we have players wanting to play.

“We play a different way with Nicky Deverdics there on the left side, but he’s not Nathan Thomas with his dynamics. It’s a bit different.’’