Dave Challinor opens up on big January decisions at Hartlepool United

Pools are second heading into the away fixture at FC Halifax Town on Saturday afternoon and he has a number of decisions to make over the coming weeks regarding the short term futures of his fringe players.

Winger Josh MacDonald and Claudio Ofosu are a couple of players who could potentially benefit from a loan spell but Challinor admits it is a difficult situation to assess as he looks to ensure Pools remain in the promotion hunt.

Challinor told the Mail: “Potentially we could get them out but it’s a difficult one at the moment because we’ve recently changed our shape so you look as Luke Molyneux coming back into the fold.

"Claudio and Josh are naturally wingers who can potentially do a job up front like Oatesy has done so it becomes difficult to see where they play and fit in.

"We’re not in a huge rush or necessity to get players out but we want to give players the best opportunities possible.

"We’ll have questions to ask the other way with Aarron Cunningham and Brad Young and whether they come back.

"There are lots of things that could happen in January and a lot of decisions to be made around players coming in or staying out to make sure we’ve got enough to get us where we want to be come May.”

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