‘A good feeling’ - Antony Sweeney reveals his delight at new Hartlepool United role under Keith Curle

One of the first major decisions made by the new management team was to reintroduce Antony Sweeney back into the first-team fold.

Sweeney, who played under the duo of Keith Curle and Colin West at Carlisle United, has revealed it is a ‘good feeling’ to be back in the dugout.

Sweeney said: “It’s a good feeling. It’s something that I have done before under a couple of managers. I enjoy being on the grass.

“The gaffer and Colin I know from previous clubs and have worked with them before so it will be my job to support them, however that is.

“Whether it is getting on the grass with the players or giving them as much information as I can about what the players are like on and off the field. It’s nice to be back.”

And now he is back, Sweeney is determined to strike a balance between helping the club achieve success on the field right now - whilst also keeping one eye on the long-term future of the club.

“An academy only survives if the first-team survives,” Sweeney said. “So if you’re down near the bottom of the league and that threat of going out the league, and I know it’s early to say that, but that’s what the bottom two places are, you’ve got an active interest where the results need to be for everyone.

“Those young lads, through no fault of their own, their futures may be at threat, that’s a lot to put on first-team players this early in the season.

“But that’s only natural when you’re looking down and thinking whatever small [thing] can I do to help?

“I’m not saying if I was sat in the dugout that results would have been different, no one will ever know that, but there’s certain things that when you’ve been at the football club for as long as I have, you know what the fan base expect.

“Sometimes that can be a benefit if you can put that to the players but like I say, there’s no hard feelings from myself.”