TWO close friends will go head-to-head when Hartlepool United and Darlington get the first North-East derby of the season underway this afternoon.

When the teams walk out at Victoria Park to the rival chants of both sets of supporters, there will be another battle of a different kind brewing in the centre of the pitch.

Pool's Tommy Widdrington and Darlington's Neil Maddison, who have been pals since their days at Southampton, will be aiming to win the battle for midfield supremacy.

And no-nonsense Widdrington will not be shirking his tigerish qualities when he is faced with the prospect of going into a 50-50 challenge with Maddison.

"There's no way there will be any of that from either of us I'm sure of that," said Widdrington, who has known Maddison for 12 years. "And why would we not go in at each other?

"It will probably mean that we will be going in for the tackle even more because we will be having a bit of banter."

Widdrington joined Pool from Port Vale in the summer and shortly after Maddison left Middlesbrough to sign for hometown club Darlington.

And as soon as Quakers' boss Gary Bennett had captured Maddison, Widdrington was straight on the phone to wind him up. "When I heard that Maddo was joining Darlo I rang him," said the 29-year-old, who has started all three of Pool's matches at the start of this campaign.

"We have been waiting for this one ever since we joined our new clubs. It should be good, as long as we win. There has hardly been a day when we have spoken to each other on the phone since I came up here.

"I'm really looking forward to the final whistle when I go up to him and torture him after we beat them, or so I hope anyway.

"But Maddo is a really good player and Bennett has made a great acquisition. We will have to watch out for him."

Newcastle-born Widdrington knows the hatred that exists up the road between the Magpies and Sunderland, and although there may not be as many supporters at Victoria Park he is expecting an exciting fixture.

"I have heard so much about the derby from the lads and from fans," said Widdrington, who turned down a move to Feethams in June 1999. I am really looking forward to it and I think that we can come away with a win. We are at home and although Darlo have made a couple of good buys I am confident that we can come away with the points."

Widdrington has now settled in with the rest of the Pool squad and he believes from his impressions that a high placing come May could be on the cards.

"The gaffer has brought in some good players and I think that we will be able to push for promotion," he added. "I also think that we will see a lot more from Ritchie Humphreys up front.

"All of us new boys have fitted in well but I think that Ritchie has got a lot of talent and when he scores his first he will go on to score quite a few for us."