NEALE Cooper will have a full squad to take on tour when he steps up Hartlepool United's pre-season programme next week.

Pool head for Holland and friendlies with Top Oss and FC Eindhoven and injury victims Micky Barron and Chris Westwood will be fit to travel.

Barron had a hernia operation over the summer, after being forced out of ten games towards the end of the season, while Westwood suffered a foot injury before returning to training last week.

Scans have showed Westwood has not suffered any break and the pair have been joining in pre-season training with their teammates at Durham's Houghall College this week.

"There's no need to rush them back, but it's pleasing to see them both coming on so well. They are probably doing 80 per cent of training,'' said Pool No 2 Martin Scott.

The draw for the Carling Cup takes place tomorrow morning - and Pool have been listed as one of the seeded clubs.

Pool, Leeds and Sunderland are among the seeded teams and they will face a non-seeded team, a group made up of teams who finished in the lower half of Division Two and Division Three last season.

Pool could be paired against Darlington or Chris Turner's Sheffield Wednesday, who they knocked out of last season's competition, as both are in the unseeded section.

* Pool's Dave Brown has been crowned the division's groundsman of the year. He also won the award for Division Three in 2002/3 and now faces competition from Southampton, Ipswich and Macclesfield for the overall award, which will be decided in September.

Pool have again laid a new surface for the coming season at Victoria Park.

* Hull City have signed former England international Nicky Barmby on a one-year deal with the possibility of a longer contract.

The Hull-born playmaker joins the Coca-Cola League One outfit on a free transfer after accepting a settlement with Leeds United to terminate his contract after weeks of negotiations.

Barmby is believed to have accepted a £1m pay-off from Leeds.

Read more about Hartlepool here.