HARTLEPOOL UNITED are heading for a sell-out on Saturday. With the club’s Football League future in the balance, tickets have been reduced to £5 for the home game with Doncaster Rovers.

The visitors, who can win the league with victory, have long sold their allocation and Pools have sold almost 6,000 tickets themselves.

The game, which kicks-off at 5.30pm is televised live on Sky Sports. Tickets are on sale from the club’s ticket office today until 6pm and until 5.30pm tomorrow, with none available on the day of the game.

Pools are under temporary management on two fronts. Pam Duxbury has replaced outgoing chairman Gary Coxall after he stood down on Tuesday.

While Matthew Bates takes charge of his second game in charge after Dave Jones was sacked.

Bates, who will hold a press conference at Victoria Park this morning, is unlikely to play himself and admits Nathan Thomas has been struggling with a knee injury.

“Nathan has struggled with a bit of a knee problem and didn’t train much yesterday, we kept it last minute for him and he said it was alright and it was, but it wasn’t just his day on Saturday,’’ he said. “We discussed it at half-time, so we decided to put Rhys on.

“I decided early in the week I wasn’t playing. Rather than having a game to prepare for, I didn’t think I could do it with so much going on.

“I decided on Monday and looking back it was the right decision, there’s so much on and so much to think about.

“I hadn’t trained all week, I’ve been doing sessions. I know it was a lack of concentration for the goal, but the centre-halves have been terrific.’’