James Just Can't Afford Favours For His Former Club Tonight

How things have changed for both. Now, club and player only have eyes for avoiding the National League North. But he knows emotions can’t get in the way tonight.

The Barrow striker, 23, started his career at Victoria Park in League One and had three years at the club playing 90 times. He returned on loan in 2016 and tonight faces them in the blue and white of the Bluebirds live on BT Sport.

“It’s a great club, I have some many fantastic memories of Hartlepool United. The academy gave me my career, and the people there are fantastic,” said James, who scored the winning goal at Maidenhead on Saturday.

“The fans will be hurting a little at the moment but they’re a big club and a brilliant club. It hurts to see them having problems too.

“Obviously thought I can’t afford to be anything except professional. It’s a huge game for both clubs, and that’s it’s been selected by BT Sport. Both teams need the win.

“Ideally we will both stay up but we’ve got to focus on getting it right on Wednesday and I’m sure they are thinking the same too.”

Winning at York Road on Saturday has given Barrow a big lift. Not safe yet, despite having games in hand and they need to sort their Holker Street form out.

Without a win at home since October, manager Ady Pennock’s first game in charge against Aldershot, on-loan James knows that run can’t continue.

“The home form is something we need to put right,” he adds. “The past two homes game we have actually managed to play well and we’ve been leading in both games - but ended up drawing.

“What is it they say? It’s the draws that kill you. We’ve got to start winning home games, the fans are great but they haven’t seen enough victories.

“The strange thing is we have been winning away from home. We have come away from Maidenhead, Woking, Maidstone, Halifax, Gateshead and Eastleigh with three points - all since we last won at home!

“Getting those three points on Saturday was so big. We have played better and not got the three points, but 1-0s are great scorelines away from home when you are the one who gets the goal! It’s great for the defence as well.

“It was a big result for us on Saturday, and we now need to go on a little run. The Hartlepool game is massive for us now, and we need to push on. If we can get a second win on the bounce then it will give us huge confidence.

“We haven’t got a big squad, but we have a tight group. Everyone is going to be needed in the run-in and we are just so happy we didn’t get another postponement at Maidenhead.

“If there was a danger of that we would have all been on the pitch shovelling off the snow! We’ve not had much luck lately but hopefully that’s on the turn now. We have a backlog and I have never known anything like the weather we have had.”