HARTLEPOOL United's pre-season kicks-off tonight - with Chris Turner's side going Dutch.

All roads lead to Carlisle and the Division Three campaign on August 10, but Pool's preparations start off by visiting Dutch outfit Theole.

They also play SV Nootdorp tomorrow as part of their five-day stay in Holland, where they are based at the KNVB national training camp. They arrived yesterday morning and their stay began with a thunderstorm.

"To be honest, we don't know too much about the opposition,'' revealed Turner. "We don't want to face anyone too tough or anyone too easy where we would win by five or six.

"It's the first game so we want a happy medium, a decent run-out. I think we will mix everyone up and ensure everyone gets a run out while we are here. We might play a different starting XI each game.''

That should mean the Pool fans in the Netherlands get their first chance to see goalkeeper Jim Provitt in action. After Martin Hollund was freed, the teenager steps up to number two behind Anthony Williams and after receiving glowing reports on the keeper last season, Turner has no worries about throwing him into action.

"Former top-flight keeper Turner said: "I took the goalkeepers myself last week in training and I've been impressed. Hopefully Anthony Williams will have an outstanding season and there won't be the need to call on him, but I know if we have to he can come in and do well.''

Pool have been training for two weeks, more than a week longer than the majority of sides, and Turner said: "Our preparations started the moment we lost at Cheltenham in the play-offs. We want to carry on the form from the last six months of the season and if we do then it should be promotion form.

"We have a strong squad with people who can create and score goals.''

Gordon Watson's decision to stay means the Pool boss hasn't needed to set off on a player hunt.

"If he had gone we would have had to go and look for someone and then you don't really know what you are getting,'' he said. "With Gordon we have a quality striker who can get 20 goals and in Eifiion Williams and Kevin Henderson two players who can score 15.''

Read more about Hartlepool here.