Steven Istead signs pro contract

Vic Park
By Albatross
June 7 2005

Hartlepool United have announced that winger Steven Istead has signed his first pro contract with the club. Still no news of a managerial appointment though - John Carver is still being linked to the job but contrary to some reports he has not left Newcastle - or not yet anyway.

"Icey" quickly made a name for himself at Pools after joining on Scholarship terms; his pace on the right wing saw him included on the bench for the game with Bristol Rovers during our promotion season. When he came onto the pitch he broke the long-standing record of John McGovern to become our youngest ever player - although that record has already been bettered by David Foley. He immediately made an impact - his first touch took him past his man, his second was a cross that hit the post.

His first start was a long time coming though - last March against Stockport. This season his only start came in the LDV against Hull. Istead has scored twice for Pools, his first coming in the League Cup against Sheffield Wednesday, and his only League goal to date being the winner against Colchester last season.

While his starts have been very few, Istead has been a regular figure on the bench and must be getting close to setting some kind of record: his 65 appearances as a sub will take some beating. Now however we need to look for Istead to kick on and show that he's worth a starting place on a regular basis.

His career at Pools has not always been smooth; while successive managers have valued his pace against tiring defenders, he has also found himself banished to the reserves and even youth team for spells amid tales of occasional petulance.

Meanwhile we still wait for news of the managerial situation. No call has been made for applications, but equally no statement has been issued to confirm that Martin Scott will be in charge - or otherwise. Rumours continue to circulate that John Carver is going to take charge, although a recent report that he's quit his job at Newcastle's academy has been denied by the Magpies. Someone though is making decisions about offering contracts to players - if it's not Scott, then who?