Bradford Park Avenue’s finance director Kevin Hainsworth says the club are finalising a date with Hartlepool United for a pre-season friendly.

Avenue have already compiled a list of five warm-up games, which includes Doncaster Rovers and Sheffield United. Adding Colin Cooper’s Hartlepool makes their pre-season schedule even more impressive.

Hainsworth said: “We are just ironing out the final details. It is part of the deal that took Michael Duckworth to Hartlepool and we think it adds another quality game for our fans to look forward to.

“There might yet be another game pencilled in but, even before that, I think we have a very good mix of opposition for our friendlies. I think one of the interesting ones will be at Brighouse Town.

“They are a fantastic club and they have done really well. They have a great manager in Quinny (Paul Quinn), a very good squad of players and a really hard-working group of people pushing the club forward.

“Same with Tadcaster Albion, who just missed out on promotion behind Brighouse - we play them the week before.

"I think Taddy will be one of the favourites to go up from the Northern Counties East (Premier Division) in the new season and it will be interesting to see Brighouse in Evo-Stik (Division One North).

“We also go to Witton Albion in pre-season, so we have got a real test against some very good sides from a variety of levels. It should be a just what our squad needs to prepare for our own season.”