Colin Cooper: Hartlepool must rotate squad during fixture pile-up

Hartlepool manager Colin Cooper accepts he must make changes to his in-form side during a busy week of games.

Pools have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions and on Saturday beat League One Notts County in the FA Cup.

On Tuesday they face Rotherham in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy, and three days later visit Newport in League Two.

"I don't like it and think rotation's a modern-day phenomenon, but three games in six days forces my hand," he said.

Hartlepool's reward for their FA Cup victory over the Magpies is a home game against Coventry City.

Their clash with Rotherham is for a place in the JPT area semi-final, meaning they are now three rounds away from playing at Wembley.

"It's great to be in a quarter-final and you're bound to have a lot of games when you're doing well," Cooper told BBC Tees.

"[Assistant manager] Craig Hignett and I will have to sit down and decide who needs a break. I always want to pick my best XI but it's crucial that the players' energy levels are really high.

"Quite honestly, when I was playing, if I'd been in a side in this sort of form, even if I was tired, I certainly would not have thanked the manager for giving me a rest, that's for sure."