MICKY Barron is over his injury problems and should be back in action tonight, as Hartlepool United's pre-season programme gets underway.

Barron suffered as the season was in its final stages, missing games with a hernia problem which required surgery, and then being dramatically felled as he blocked a cross in the play-off semi-final defeat at Bristol City.

The Pool skipper has been a regular in the side since first moving to Victoria Park from Middlesbrough in 1996.

Barron had a hernia operation after the season ended and, despite admitting being behind his teammates in the fitness stakes, he should be part of the team in Holland where Pool face Top Oss.

"I'm trying to get up to a level of fitness where I can get through a game without any problems,'' he said. "I think the lads are a bit ahead of me and I'm playing catch-up, but this week away should do me some good.

"I suffered last season with a hernia and it's something I've had on and off for a while now. Sometimes it was fine, other days it was agony and it had to be done.

"I waited until the end of the season because I wanted to make sure I was still involved in some way because there was so much to play for.

"From a football point of view the summer is a good time to get it done because you are not missing out on anything, but your base fitness drops and it means you fall behind the rest of the lads who have a fitness programme to stick to all summer.''

He added: "I was knocked out at Bristol and that gave a few people a scare. I think it looked a lot worse than it was - five minutes later I was sat up in the dressing room with a cup of tea!

"My family were a bit worried, and when people see the oxygen masks it makes it worse. Some of the lads thought I was time wasting, but I went off and then we lost Chris Westwood as well, which proved the difference.

"Looking at the goals, they were ones which we could have kept out with a full team.''

Pool beat the Dutch side 6-0 last season in their first pre-season outing last summer, with a hat-trick from Eifion Williams and a debut goal from Marco Gabbiadini, before drawing 3-3 at Heerenveen 48 hours later.

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