FOR Paul Murray, the early stages of football management aren’t only about getting to know his Hartlepool United players, he is also finding out about his assistant.
Boss Murray and right-hand man Willie Donachie have been in the job a month and were paired together from opposite ends of the management spectrum; rookie chief and wily number two.
They will be in the Victoria Park dug out this afternoon as Pools take on York, in close proximity just like they were on Tuesday and into the early hours of Wednesday.
With the Minstermen taking on AFC Wimbledon in the FA Cup, the pair headed for Kingsmeadow to take a close look at today’s opposition – while taking the chance to tap into each others experience and psyche in the process. 
“It was a good trip down to Wimbledon with Willie and a chance to get to know his family life, and for him to get to know me more,’’ reflected Murray.
“He has brought yoga into the club, which is great. He has his yoga school on a Monday and then on a Thursday there is an optional one and you have three quarters of the squad there as well.
“Willie is a very flexible man, that is all I will say!’’
And Murray added: “I’m tapping into his knowledge as well.
“We had an unbelievable conversation about football boots in the 1970s, Scotland and the World Cup in 74.
“He has loads of little stories like that and I have told the lads that they need to speak to Willie.
“Players now, it is so easy to get information of the internet, but they probably don’t do enough of it.
“Willie is a dinosaur at times, in a nice way, but the lads should be tapping in about his experiences – he has done it all!
“They probably think “Oh there is Willie, he used to play for Man City”, but when you get down into the nitty gritty, he has done so much more than that and he is very humble about it all.
“Willie is a great example for everyone.”
Murray has previously admitted the need to share his workload, giving more tasks to both Donachie and player-coach Sam Collins.
While there’s the novelty value of his new responsibilities as a manager, Murray accepts it’s something he’s got to grasp in the coming days and weeks.
“I have started delegating a little bit more, it is coming - but with this being a huge game I want to put my stamp on it.
“These next three home games will go a long way to shaping the rest of our season.
“I am trying to get this place to be very solid, where nobody wants to come.
“The last two home games we have had a great comeback and then we won in the cup, which was a tough game. That was a good game to get through.”
York recently appointed Russ Wilcox as boss, replacing Nigel Worthington following a sticky start to the season.
But both sides have struggled this campaign and Murray has labelled this game a six-pointer. 
“The York match (on Tuesday) was a good game, they went 1-0 up and had a great chance to go 2-1 up but then Wimbledon were really strong,’’ he reported. 
“They are a hardworking team under Wilcox.
“Most teams are in this league. I knew about League Two anyway but the sides are very similar, every team.
“They set up slightly differently but the way the football is played and the principles is very similar.’’
“We can’t be nervous or cagey, we have to go for it – we need a victory.
“We will be sensible but we are at home on our ground and are unbeaten there in the last two games.”
Murray yesterday signed striker Adam Campbell on loan from Newcastle for a month and he will start today, while goalkeeper Jonathan Maxtead, who was a regular back-up at Doncaster Rovers, has also signed a deal.