Matty Daly and Dapo Afolayan: The two hungry youngsters looking to make a difference for their side’s in the Papa John’s Trophy

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Since Dave Challinor’s departure from Hartlepool United in November, the side has only picked up five wins. With only one of those victories taking place in the league, the Pools are starting to create somewhat of a new underdog story.

This week is a big week for Hartlepool as they aim to continue their journey in the Papa John’s Trophy and in the FA Cup. However, this piece will only focus on their tie against Bolton Wanderers at Victoria Park.

Much has changed since last season’s promotion, notably Challinor’s departure from the club, Rhys Oates and Luke Armstrong, the star striker partnership of last season, left the club in the summer with the former signing for fellow League Two side Mansfield Town and the latter returning to his parent club Salford City before a transfer to Harrogate Town just six days after the conclusion of his season with Hartlepool.

This has led to the club looking for new heroes, and in the Papa John’s Trophy, there seems to be a clear player that fits this description. This comes in the form of a young loanee called Matty Daly.

The 20-year-old joined the Pools from Huddersfield Town in August, and just three months later, the interim manager, at that time, Anthony Sweeney spoke about his importance to the side.

“He’s growing into a key player for us. He’s got real ability and can affect games.”

Looking back to earlier in Daly’s career, specifically during his exposure to games at his parent club, the midfielder has been touted as a promising player for the future but has rarely had the chance to prove himself, with only 11 games at first-team level, including two Premier League appearances.

To further this point, the youngster has only started one game and his only contribution for the club was a goal against Charlton Athletic in December 2019.

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The decision to send the player to Hartlepool was more than justified by the Huddersfield management, and when Head of football operations Leigh Bromby spoke to club media, this point was only strengthened.

“This loan represents a really important next step in his development. Matty’s talent is there for everyone to see, but the challenge is now for him to go and establish himself”

With the Yorkshire club likely to be invested in Pools’ journey through the Papa John’s Trophy this season, Daly has often put on a show, scoring four times in three games, and will be hoping to add more contributions to his name to bolster Hartlepool’s chances of causing another ‘cupset’.

Bolton, on the other hand, will be looking to keep their 100% record in the competition, and as the rounds have advanced, so has the level of the side. In their most recent fixture in the competition against Fleetwood Town, only four of the team’s starting 11 didn’t start in their league game against Rotherham United on Saturday.

The Wanderers also do not play again in the league until next Tuesday which ensures that manager Ian Evatt can field a potentially fully strengthened side with the confidence they can recover in due course for next week’s fixture.

With this in mind, it is likely that Bolton’s emerging starlet, Dapo Afolayan, will feature heavily in the clash against the Pools. The 24-year-old has been a star so far in Evatt’s side who sit 17th in League One.

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The former West Ham youngster has seven goals and one assist to his name in the league this season with a further two goals in the Papa John’s Trophy.

Whilst Bolton offer the threat of a higher-ranked side for the Pools, the Whites’ recent form is dismal. Whilst the home sides’ form is not much better, if any better at all, Graeme Lee will feel his side’s chances of continuing their cup successes have led them to become quite the underdog.

Given their 3-0 thumping of Sheffield Wednesday in the previous round of the competition, Hartlepool will feel more than confident that they will be able to continue this cup run.

If you are wanting a more overall look on the two sides this season, we strongly recommend reading Ben Olawumi’s piece on the fixture. 

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