Hartlepool United Season Preview 2021/22: Back but for how long?

Hartlepool will be playing League Two football next season after winning the National League playoffs but are they ready to step up into an unforgiving division?

Pool returned to the Football League thanks to a penalty shoot-out victory at Ashton Gate after Torquay’s keeper netted an unlikely equaliser in the dying moments. It took a lot of character to not fold after being so close but Dave Challinor is a good manager and his side are nothing if not battle-hardened.

The big question now is whether they can build on the success of last season. They have lost some important players this summer through no fault of their own with loan players heading back to parent clubs before moving out elsewhere. Yet it is the lack of additions that has many Pool fans worried.

The squad have not enjoyed a good pre-season results-wise, losing to non-league opponents on three occasions, but it’s hard to tell how much can be taken from these matches.

What is perhaps more telling is the tone coming from manager Dave Challinor. He is clearly not a happy man with the lack of progress the club have made in preparing for League Two and that is a telling sign of just how difficult he’s expecting the coming campaign to be.

Teams generally don’t get relegated back to the National League straight after coming up, but Hartlepool have got some work to do to make sure they don’t get close.

The Squad

With promotion confirmed Hartlepool were always going to face a difficult task to get ready for the new season. Going up via the playoffs may be the best way to do it but it leaves you with less time to get things in order for when football returns.

No sooner had their place in the Football League been realised, they started to lose players. Key loanee Luke Armstrong was snapped up by Harrogate after netting 15 times for Pool while on loan from Salford and Lewis Cass joined Port Vale, another loan player Dave Challinor would probably have liked to see stay.

The Valiants also nabbed left-back Ryan Johnson and Rhys Oates moved on to pastures new, this time in the form of Mansfield. One other leaver well worth a mention is Ryan Donaldson who has signed for Morpeth. His leadership will be missed but most will agree his time at the club was coming to a natural conclusion.

In terms of new players, there have been a few. Defender Neill Byrne has been picked up from Halifax for an undisclosed fee and Martin Smith arrives from Chesterfield. They have also signed Australian defender Reagan Ogle from Accrington. The 22-year-old spent last season on loan at Altrincham.

Newcomer to watch: Olufela Olomola

It feels like Olufela Olomola should be older than 23, but he isn’t and that’s a good thing for Pool after they landed the player on a free from Scunthorpe.

Olomola has shown only glimpses of talent in the spells he has had in the EFL with Yeovil, Carlisle, and The Iron but after an injury-plagued year, he might finally show his ability on a more consistent basis at Victoria Park.

Verdict

This summer has been really underwhelming for Hartlepool fans. After winning promotion in such a brilliant manner they have not built on that, letting the momentum slip away. It now feels like the coming campaign will be one of struggle and if that’s the case, it could be a tough year for the County Durham outfit.

words James Richards, D3D4 Football