Middlesbrough's pre-season will kick-off with a friendly with non-league neighbours Bishop Auckland - the club have confirmed.
Boro will travel to Heritage Park - also the home venue of their under-23s' games - on Wednesday, July 14, with kick-off confirmed for 7pm.
The game will take place just before the Boro squad then head south to Cornwall where they have their week-long pre-season training camp, which will also see them play a further three previously announced friendlies.
Warnock has previously spoken of his desire to play games against sides like Bishop Auckland in pre-season, often harking back to his own Hartlepool United playing days where he would regularly visit Horden Colliery.
And he is hoping that the fixture will provide supporters with a chance to attend and also meet the players.
Of the newly confirmed fixture, Warnock said: “We’ll start at Bishop Auckland.
OFB
I will try to beat OFB to this info:
Neil Warnock’s squad will continue the countdown to the new season with a first ever trip to York City’s LNER Community Stadium.
Boro travel to York on Tuesday July 27 (7pm) as part of a pre-season programme that already includes a trip to Bishop Auckland and three games in Devon and Cornwall.
The stadium, which was only opened last December, has a capacity of 8,500 and is the new home for the Minstermen and the city’s rugby league club York City Knights.
“I promised York I would take a team there,” said the Boro manager.
“It’s a club I used to play for, and importantly it’s another game that’s local for our supporters to be able to come and watch.
“It’s also a new ground for us all. I’ve not been, and it will be the first chance our supporters will have had to visit so it’s another game to look forward to.”
Up the Boro!
York City’s new Commercial Manager who i Know pretty well used to be in a Commercial role for Boro for many years and his first priority was to get Boro down for a game.
Funnily enough the first time I ever saw the Boro was in 1966 at York City Bootham Crescent ground at a friendly.
I drove past their new growing last week and it looks terrific.
Hopefully a lot of Boro fans will be able to travel down and see the game
OFB
Jarkko
Despite winning at Aldershot on Saturday, the highest position that Hartlepools can finish is now 3rd but more likely to be 4th which they are almost assured of. This would mean a home match probably against Chesterfield and if they win another home match against the winner of the 5th/6th placed side. After that if successful they would likely face Stockport away with the winners away to Torquay. Pools next League match is away to League leaders Sutton United and televised on BT Sport, but the date and timing has yet to be confirmed according to the Pools website.
@ken Yes, it was a pity they lost two matches recently before winning again on Saturday. It will always be better to have as few play off games.
I have never seen Pools playing live. Been only to see Boro playing at the Vic in 1986. The only time two Football League matches have been played in a ground the same day.
But I have been visiting the town. The old war ship in a beaty and I like the old town I think is the original Hartlepool. The railway station and the harbour area is more like West Hartlepool, I think.
Up the Pools!
Agent Woodgate had his Bournemouth team winning the first leg of their play-off match yesterday. "It's half-time, it's a slight advantage," Woodgate said after seeing Dutch winger Danjuma finish off a fine counter-attacking move from David Brooks' precise through ball.
I watched most of the match on TV yesterday. An even match but the Cherries had one good counter attack. Brentford played well but I do not think they had a single strike at the goal even they had Tooney. Football is an interesting game.
Up the Boro!