Coca-Cola League One returns this week, as Tranmere Rovers make the long trip across 
Rovers will be desperate for a win after a disappointing November saw them lose three and draw one of their four league games, whilst Hartlepool have faded away somewhat after a good start and will be looking for the three points too after an F.A. Cup defeat to Hereford on Saturday.
Formed: 1881
Ground: Victoria Park
Manager: Danny Wilson
Nickname: The Monkey Hangers
Season Finish 2006/07: 2nd (Coca-Cola League Two)
Previous Meetings:
The less said about the most recent two meetings between the two sides, in the 2005/06 season, is probably for the best, as both games ended in dull 0-0 draws.
The sides first met at a cold Victoria Park in January and it was the first meeting between the sides since Hartlepool beat Rovers in the 2004/05 Play-off semi-finals with a 6-5 victory on penalties against Tranmere.
How things had changed for each team though, with both now fighting relegation from League One, and whilst Tranmere would keep themselves up with a 2-1 win over MK Dons in their penultimate fixture,
The game was dull and saw very little goal mouth action for either side.
Tranmere should perhaps have won the game however, as
The next meeting between the two sides was on Valentines Day, exactly a month after the previous meeting, but there was nothing lovely about this game.
A small
Vital Stats:
In eight of the last nine meetings between the two teams, at least one side has kept a clean sheet, as well as four 0-0 draws
The two teams have played each other on an incredible 110 occasions, with the first game coming in November 1921
In 54 meetings between the two sides at Hartlepool, Tranmere have picked up 15 wins compared to Hartlepool's 26
The two sides have scored an impressive 346 goals in their 110 meetings, with Rovers netting 193 of them
There have been ten previous games between the two sides in December, with Rovers picking up five wins and a draw
On This Day:
1999: Tranmere pick up an impressive 3-2 win away to promotion chasing Bolton Wanderers in Division One
1992: West Ham travel to the Wirral and are hammered 5-2 by John King's Rovers side
1937: Rovers win 4-0 at home to Hartlepools United in Division Three North
The Form Book:
Hartlepool Last 6 Home Games: DDLWDL
Trannmere Last 6 Away Games: WDWLLW
Hartlepool's home form this season has been nothing to brag about, as they have picked up only three home wins all season.
Indeed, Danny Wilson's side come into this game without a win at home in three games and having won just one of their last seven games in all competitions, and even that was against non-league side Gainsborough Trinity in the F.A. Cup.
In the first match of their six match sequence, Hartlepool lost 1-0 at home to Walsall before drawing 2-2 at home to Carlisle United a few days later.
A Friday night 1-0 win over Bristol Rovers moved Hartlepool upto fifth place in the League One table in mid September, but it has been nearly all downhill ever since for the Victoria Park team.
Hartlepool first lost 2-1 at home to Brighton and Hove Albion, before drawing 1-1 with Morecambe in the Johnstone's Paints Trophy at Victoria Park, a game they went onto lose 6-5 on penalties.
Their last home game was against Bournemouth on November 18th away was a live televised game on Sky Sports. Hartlepool drew the game 1-1 but have had three away fixtures since this game.
Other notable home results for Hartlepool include a 4-1 thumping of Oldham and a 2-1 win over big spending Doncaster Rovers.
From eight home league games, Hartlepool have picked up twelve points from an available 24, with three wins, three draws and two defeats.
Notable away results for the Monkey Hangers include wins over Millwall (1-0), Gainsborough Trinity (6-0) and Leyton Orient (4-2), as well as an impressive League Cup win over Scunthorpe United (2-1).
For Tranmere, playing away from home has been much more profitable than playing at Prenton Park this season.
Despite a blip of two consecutive defeats recently on the road, Tranmere have now gone three unbeaten away from home, including two F.A. Cup wins to guide them through to the third round.
In their first match of the six match sequence, Rovers picked up a magnificent 2-1 win away at Southend United thanks to goals from Chorley and Taylor.
Ronnie Moore's side, now hit by injuries to the likes of Shuker and Davies then lost their first two away games of the season however, both without scoring, as they were firstly defeated 1-0 by Swindon Town before then losing 2-0 at Nottingham Forests' City Ground to the former European Champions.
Rovers since are unbeaten on the road though, as they firstly beat Chesterfield 2-1 at Saltergate, this after trailing 1-0, in the F.A. Cup First Round, before drawing 0-0 away to Doncaster Rovers, a game which Tranmere had to play with ten men for almost half the match after Carl Tremarco was sent off after 47 minutes.
In their most recent away game, Rovers won 3-0 away to Bradford City in the second round of the F.A. Cup, as a goal from Steven Jennings and two for Chris Greenacre sent Rovers into the third round.
Other notable away results for Tranmere include wins over Gillingham (2-0) and Carlisle United (1-0) as well as 1-1 draws with Yeovil Town and Cheltenham.
From eight away league games, Tranmere have picked up 12 points thanks to three wins, three draws and two defeats.
Notable home results for the Prenton Park side include wins over Brighton and Hove Albion (2-0), Luton Town (2-1) and Huddersfield Town (3-0).
Double Hit:
One player who has played for both Tranmere Rovers and Hartlepool United is striker Ian Moore, who is currently a
Moore, the son of Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore, started his career with Rovers as he came through the ranks and made a huge impression on the Rovers faithful.
Making his debut in the 1994/95 season under then manager John King, Moore made 66 appearances for Tranmere and netted 13 goals in the process, as well as spending time on loan at Bradford in 1996, before moving on to Nottingham Forest for £1,000,000 in March 1997.
Only one goal was scored by the striker in his time at Forest, and after a very brief loan spell at West Ham (just one game), Moore joined Stockport for £800,000 in time for the start of the 1998 season.
Moore had more success at Edgely Park, as he netted 23 goals in 104 appearances for the club and he was on the move again in 2000, transfering to Burnely for another £1,000,000.
Moore stayed at Burnley for five years, but goals were few and far between. Often, he was played out on the wing instead of in his favoured striker position, whilst injuries hampered his first team chances.
Having played 215 appearances for the Lancashire side, and netted just 50 goals in the process, Moore moved to Leeds for £50,000 in March 2005.
However, again Moore failed to get enough goals with the former league winners, and after suffering relegation with the club in the 2006/07 season, he was released on a free transfer, having made 65 appearances for the club and scored just five goals.
He joined up with Danny Wilson and Hartlepool in the summer and has scored seven goals in 21 games since his move to the club.
One To Watch: Ritchie Humphreys
Midfielder Ritchie Humphreys started his career with Sheffield Wednesday in 1995, and having spent time on loan with Scunthorpe and Cardiff, as well as making 82 appearances for the Owls, Humphreys moved to Cambridge, then a league side, on a free transfer in 2001.
He made just seven appearances in his five months with United before moving to Hartlepool in the summer of 2001, where he has now made 328 appearances and scored 29 goals.
A brief loan spell at Port Vale last season saw him make seven appearances for the Valients, but Humphreys is very much a terrace hero at Victoria Park now.
Wearing the number eight shirt for Hartlepool, the 30 year old has a brilliant crossing ability and it was he who scored the winning penalty for Hartlepool in their play-off semi final win over Rovers in 2005. He has decent pace and has created a number of goals for Hartlepool teams down the years. He has won numerous awards for his performances with Hartlepool, and last year he was awarded with a place in the PFA League Two team of the year.
Around League One:
Again, there are some big fixtures in Coca-Cola League One this week, with Tranmere hoping that they will be able to move back into the play-off places with a win.
Rovers go into the game lying in eighth place in the league, two points off the final play-off place occupied by Doncaster, although four teams all have 26 points at this point in the season, with Brighton, Southend and Leeds also on the same amount but with all the teams seperated by goal difference.
Hartlepool meanwhile go into the game lying seven places but just three points behind Tranmere in 15th place, showing just how tight the league table is.
Two of those teams on 26 points meet at the Keepmoat Stadium as Doncaster play in form Brighton, meaning a win would lift Rovers above at least one of these teams.
League leaders Swansea City have a home match against Northampton Town, with Swansea looking to get over the disappointment of their 1-1 draw with Horsham in the Cup this weekend.
Leeds host struggling Port Vale, with the Valients only managing a 1-1 draw with Chasetown in their F.A. Cup second round match, whilst Leeds had a weekend off having been knocked out in the first round by Hereford, whilst Walsall and Nottingham Forest meet at the Bescott stadium.
Leyton Orient play Millwall in a London derby at Brisbane Road, whilst on Wednesday night Southend are in action as they take on in form Huddersfield Town at Roots Hall.
Team News:
Ronnie Moore has almost a full team to select from after John Mullin and Ben Chorley returned to first team action at the weekend. Craig Curran is expected to be fit after a knee injury kept him out of the game against
Jones' Prediction:
If Tranmere play anything like they did against
Ronnie Moore should pick the same XI that started against