Hartlepool United boss Darren Sarll backs local lads to galvanise home crowd this season

Ahead of the first home game of the new campaign this weekend, the visit of well-fancied Southend, Sarll has challenged his squad to set the tone and harness the vocal support inside Victoria Park.

Indeed, Sarll's summer recruitment has taken on a distinctly local flavour, with new signings Luke Charman, Jack Hunter, Adam Campbell and Adam Smith all from the North East.

Sarll, who is from Hertfordshire and has spent all of his managerial career down south - even if various coaching roles have taken him further afield - was mindful of the fact that he wanted to focus on players with links to the region this summer.

The North East has a proud reputation as a unique footballing hotbed, with fans as dedicated as they are demanding.

Sarll and head of football Joe Monks have worked hard to assemble a squad with a decidedly local feel to it, both in order to help Sarll settle and understand the area and to strengthen the bond between the players and supporters.

That bond is set to be put to the test for the first time this weekend, with Sarll confident that the make-up of his squad should encourage the fanbase to create a raucous atmosphere.

"I didn't want to be the southerner who brings up all his mates," he said.

"It would have been really easy to have done that, it would have been a far easier summer for Joe (Monks) and the board.

"I wanted to explore the region. It is a special football region, I don't think anyone in the country would argue with that.

"I want that connection between the players and the supporters to be as organic and as natural as possible.

"I think we always get behind our own a little bit more than, maybe, someone from further afield - I'm hoping that's not the case with me!

"It's something that we discussed at length - if we had an option for a North East based individual, that was who we were going to prioritise."