Hartlepool United attacker Sam Folarin determined to prove himself at Pools after returning from National League South loan spell
Hartlepool United attacker Sam Folarin is determined to make his mark at Victoria Park after impressing since returning from a loan spell with National League South side Chelmsford City.
The 25-year-old has been brought back into the fold after arriving back from Essex, where he scored twice in 18 matches, and has impressed from the bench against both Altrincham and rivals Gateshead. Indeed, Folarin's cross led to Alex Reid's match-winning penalty as Pools edged past the Robins at the weekend while his pace and power helped turn the tide of the contest against the Heed on Tuesday evening.
Many fans might have been expecting Folarin, who had struggled to make any sort of mark at Victoria Park before heading out on loan in September, to be shipped out once more after Chelmsford opted not not to extend his deal earlier this month. Having made a bright start at the Melbourne Stadium, scoring a brace in a thumping win away at Tonbridge Angels at the beginning of November, there was a sense that Folarin had started to run out of steam with the Clarets.
Yet on his return Featherstone vowed to give Folarin an opportunity and the fleet-footed attacker made first Pools appearance in four months last Saturday, making a real impact down the right flank. Likewise, the forward impressed during a midweek cameo against Gateshead and there are now increasing calls for Folarin to be handed just his third ever Pools start against Brackley at the weekend.
The attacker, who caught the eye against Pools for Harrogate, where he scored 15 goals in 87 games, swapped Wetherby Road for Victoria Park in January last year but has found his opportunities limited in the North East, scoring once in 22 appearances. Folarin featured four times from the bench in the opening weeks of the new season but soon seemed to fall from favour altogether under Simon Grayson, leading many fans to believe they'd seen the last of him when he headed out on loan to the Clarets.
For whatever reason, it hasn't quite happened for Folarin at Pools so far. Blessed with impressive raw pace and power, Folarin has failed to ever really establish himself at Victoria Park and has found himself in and out of the first team fold under various different managers. While it's true that Folarin's own performances have left something to be desired, the wideman has often been asked to operate in unfamiliar positions, either up front or at wing-back, where he has less chance to hurt opponents with his speed and running power.
Having made such an impact in his favoured position out on the wing, Folarin is now pushing for a start as Pools look to record three successive victories for just the third time this season as they prepare to travel to Brackley on Saturday. Whether or not Folarin is named in the starting XI in Northamptonshire, the attacker told BBC Radio Tees he was determined to make an impact between now and the end of the season as Pools look to propel themselves into the National League play-off places.
"It feels good to be back here," he said.
"I'm enjoying being back with my teammates and being back up North - even if it's freezing cold - it's great to be back.
"My time on loan was good, it was good to be back at home and get some game time. I had a good spell there, getting a few goals and a few assists, and we had a great FA Cup run. I'm really grateful to have had the opportunity.
"I definitely benefited from it. I hadn't really played much in the past year, so just to feel myself again and be back on the pitch helped. I'm forever grateful to have had the opportunity to play so many games and to come back here and get the opportunity to show what I'm made of.
"The manager (Nicky Featherstone) told me there would be an opportunity and that I needed to be patient and make sure I grasped it. He wants me to keep doing what I'm doing and impacting games.
"I just try to play my game and do as much as I can to affect games in a positive way. The loan helped me focus on doing what I'm good at, getting at my man and trying to deliver crosses and create opportunities.
"There's more positivity around the place, we've been winning more games. The new gaffer has been great and the fact that we've got new ownership as well has created quite a lot of buzz in the changing room - and the whole club.
"All I know is that whether I'm on the bench or I'm starting on Saturday, my job is just to impact the game in a positive manner as much as I can."