Hartlepool striker Marcus Dinanga sets double target ahead of National League season

Hartlepool United new boy Marcus Dinanga has revealed he has two targets ahead of the National League big kick-off.
Marcus Dinanga.Marcus Dinanga.
Marcus Dinanga.

The on-loan forward says he’s determined to get goals for Pools this season, and, in doing so, get the club right in the promotion mix.

Speaking ahead of the trip down to Maidstone United this weekend, the Burton Albion loanee said: “I want to get some goals for this team, hopefully, and get us up there.

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“I don’t think it will be too long before I get my first goal and then we can work from there.”

Dinanga is yet to net in pre-season so far, and despite an impressive cameo off the bench against Middlesbrough last Saturday, he came no closer to breaking his Pools duck on home debut.

He feels it is only a matter of time, although to the non-league goal-getter, the team is really all that matters, with Pools desperate to improve on their under-par 15th-placed finish last season.

“Obviously the season starts this Saturday and every game we have all played is with the hope of being fit for the weekend,” said the player, who is likely to start the season on the bench.

“I have settled in well. The lads have taken me in.

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“I am staying with Niko (Muir), Peter (Kioso) and Myles (Anderson). They have all taken me under their wing, which is good.

“The team is all that matters. This is a team game and we are bonding as a team, getting to know each other.

“It is like a new team and we all seem to be getting on well.

“We are back in training and we need to work on some things.

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“We will look at the shape. But we are all just excited for the season.”

Reflecting back on the Boro loss - a 5-0 home hammering - Dinanga thinks Pools can learn from the negative and turn it into a positive.

And one thing the team can definitely take from the contest is the fact they are almost certainly never going to come up against any £15million strikers like Britt Assombalonga in the fifth tier.

“I thought it was a good test for us,” he said.

There were a lot of good players in the team.

Pre-season is all about fitness and I think we gained a lot of fitness in that game.

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“If we do come across that kind of quality every week I’d be surprised.

“He is a very good player - he got his goals and we know that you come up against these kind of players in such a good side.”

Meanwhile, Hartlepool have revealed their squad numbers for the new season. A number of the old guard have switched numbers, while the new bodies have also been assigned numbers of their choice. Skipper Andrew Davies has been handed the number 15 jersey

Full squad list: 1 Scott Loach, 2 Peter Kioso, 3 Mark Kitching, 4 Louis Laing, 5 Carl Magnay, 6 Liam Noble, 7 Ryan Donaldson, 8 Lewis Hawkins, 9 Jake Cassidy, 10 Niko Muir, 11 Josh Hawkes, 13 Ryan Catterick, 14 Michael Woods, 15 Andrew Davies, 16 Nicky Featherstone, 17 Myles Anderson, 19 Kenton Richardson, 20 Aaron Cunningham, 24 Conor Newton, 26 Paddy McLaughlin, 28 Marcus Dinanga, 33 Luke James.