Blackburn Rovers midfielder Tom White reacts to his Hartlepool United debut

The 2-0 win over Solihull Moors was Pools’ sixth straight home win with goals from Luke Armstrong and David Ferguson seeing the side return to second in the National League table.

Boss Dave Challinor was missing key players such as Nicky Featherstone and Gavan Holohan at Victoria Park but debutant White slotted in well into the midfield alongside Mark Shelton and Tom Crawford.

The 23-year-old midfielder endured a frustrating spell at Bolton during the first half of the 2020-21 season before being recalled by his parent club Blackburn Rovers and subsequently loaned out to promotion-chasing Pools.

White was restricted to just nine League Two appearances for the Trotters and struggled to make an impact following a knee injury picked up midway through his spell at the University of Bolton Stadium.

So he was delighted to be back playing and pleased to help Pools towards another victory in their push for promotion.

White, reflecting on his Pools debut, said: “It’s tough to come straight in but it’s testament to the management staff and the players that they’ve made me feel at ease, I had a bit of butterflies but everyone knew their jobs and it was just a case of me going in there, slotting in and doing what I feel confident doing.

"Obviously I’ve had a tough six months but I’ve played football since I was five so I like to think I know what I’m doing and it was a pleasure to play out there.

"I could probably get quite emotional about it because I have struggled over the past six months and it has been tough on and off the pitch.

"That’s just driven me to come here, contribute and try and get this club to where it belongs and I can’t wait to get more games under my belt here.

"It was going to be a tough start but I’ve played in this league for two seasons really so I know what it’s all about. I didn’t really want to do a u-turn at Dover but I couldn’t wait to get my boots on and get stuck in,” he added.

With Nicky Featherstone missing out through injury, White was deployed in a deeper role during his 70-minute appearance and he is happy to do whatever is required.

He added: “As a midfielder, you have to be able to do every part of the game in terms of defensively and going forward.

"It’s a role that I probably can do but if I’m needed to play higher I can do that too, just whatever is needed for the team.

"It was brilliant to be back out there and playing football, it’s been a while probably a couple of months but I’ve kept myself fit and in good condition although you can never really replicate that game time so it’s a nice feeling to be back out there and I want more of it now,” he added.

A message from the Football Clubs Editor

Our aim is to provide you with the best, most up-to-date and most informative Hartlepool United coverage 365 days a year.

This depth of coverage costs, so to help us maintain the high-quality reporting that you are used to, please consider taking out a subscription to our new sports-only package here.

Your support is much appreciated. Richard Mennear, Football Clubs Editor