So far so good for Pools

So far, so good. That's the early verdict on Mick Wadsworth's close-season at Hartlepool United. Not only has he signed Nobby Solano and james Poole, to add experience and youth to his squad, but he has also managed to keep the players he considers to be backbone of his squad. 

There is still some work to do, but the fact that Poole has admitted that being told that Solano was coming to Victoria Park helped him make up his mind to follow suit is a good sign.

Retaining the likes of 14-goal midfielder Antony Sweeney, keeper Scott Flinders and James Brown as well as exercising a one-year option to extend Gary Liddle’s stay at the Vic also help.

Nobody will be predicting that Pools will repeat the feat of 2005 and make the play-offs or even that they will be contenders, but there is certainly something of a feel-good factor round the club as they go into the close-season.

Pools have kept all the out-of-contract players they wanted to keep – Neil Austin, Adam Boyd, Brown, Sam Collins, Flinders, Peter Hartley, Liddle, Andy Monkhouse, Paul Murray and Sweeney.

Perhaps just as important is the fact that Pools also appear to be keeping Wadsworth, though his exact role at the club could perhaps do with redefining.

He did a great job last season after being handed the reins when Chris Turner quit early on, his experience and contacts in the game proving to be vital.

He hasn’t been made manager and the club hasn’t publicly announced that he is anything more than chief coach, but of course Hartlepool United are to publicity what Dale Winton is to WWF wrestling.

But as long as Wadsworth is happy with his situation at the Vic, he will hopefully continue to be the man for the job.

He probably has one or two more players to sign over the summer - let's get a reliable striker sorted - but he has not made a bad start to his close-season squad-building job.