Dave Challinor poses challenge to Huddersfield Town loanee following brace for Hartlepool United

The 20-year-old has been in great goalscoring form with three goals in two Papa John’s Trophy matches so far including a brace in Tuesday night’s penalty shootout win over Morecambe at Victoria Park.

He also netted in the behind closed doors friendly matches against Middlesbrough and Gateshead.

Despite starting four of the last five League Two matches for Pools, Daly is still searching for his first league goal for the club.

And with the league campaign Hartlepool’s priority this season, manager Dave Challinor wants to see the Huddersfield Town loanee pose more of a threat in the upcoming fourth tier matches.

“Ideally you want your strikers to score the goals and pose questions to us as a management team but it’s great for Dales to score,” Challinor said.

"It’s a tough one with him because he’s been a real threat in the Papa John’s games and the bounce games and has scored goals. That hasn’t transferred to a Saturday afternoon in front of 6,000 people.

"He could be and is a goalscoring midfielder and just needs to transfer it into the League Two games for us. If he does that then he’ll be a real positive.

"There’s more to come from him so the two goals will do him the world of good."

When Pools won a last minute penalty against Morecambe, Daly could have had a golden opportunity to net his first senior hat-trick.

Challinor initially shouted for the midfielder to take the spot kick before seeing Luke Molyneux, who netted a crucial penalty in the play-off final back in June, step up.

Unfortunately the number 10’s effort was denied by the crossbar but Pools would still have the last laugh by winning on penalties with both Molyneux and Daly finding the net in the shootout.

Challinor added: “Dales was the big positive from the night and in hindsight, as a young player on a hat-trick, I would have let him take it just because those opportunities don't come around a lot throughout your career so it would have been a good one for him.”

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