Hartlepool United call for clarity from the National League with potential deals with Luke James, Mark Kitching, Mark Shelton and Macauley Southam-Hales delayed due to coronavirus uncertainty

Pools released its retained list this week with no new players confirmed to have agreed to extend their stay at Victoria Park

Luke James and Mark Kitching have been offered new deals but the Mail understands that nothing will be formally agreed until the club is given some clarity over when next season will get underway.

It’s been a month since clubs voted to end the season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The National League have applied to the FA to extend their season beyond the end of May with the view to potentially completing the play-offs.

A play-off decision is expected to be made by the end of the month though clubs remain in the dark regarding the start of next season.

“It’s pretty frustrating because of the inability to plan,” Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor told the Mail.

“We’ve been putting plans in place since we arrived at the club so I suppose what we want is more clarity regarding when the season will be able to start again.

“Then you can organise properly and put those plans you’ve made into some sort of time frame. At the moment, you’ve got to accept the circumstances.

“I love my job and love being on the training pitch with the players so to not be able to do that isn’t great but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not the be-all and end-all.”

Challinor is hoping to bring midfielder Mark Shelton back to The Vic following a successful loan spell last season. Earlier in the year, the 23-year-old reportedly verbally agreed to return to Pools following the expiration of his contract at parent club Salford City.

Fellow loanee Macauley Southam-Hales has also been heavily linked with a return to the North East as discussions with parent club Fleetwood Town continue.

The Welsh right-back has an extension option with The Fishermen but added fuel to the speculation by posting a picture of Hartlepool Marina on his Instagram page on Friday morning.

The post understandably excited Hartlepool fans but that was short-lived as it was quickly confirmed that Southam-Hales was simply clearing out his apartment with its lease coming to an end.

And sources at the club suggest that no contract agreements are imminent.

Chairman Raj Singh told BBC Radio Tees Sport: “It’s difficult, who do you bring in, when is the season going to start, when do the contracts start?

“At the moment, there’s a lot of uncertainty so you just manage the situation the best you can.”

Meanwhile, Challinor is attempting to put plans in place with just eight players currently contracted.

“There’s still lots of uncertainty and you find yourself double guessing different plans and ideas as to what we might be able to do,” he continued.

“In reality, until we get a further announcement, we’re stuck where we are and we’ve got to put four or five different potential plans together on and off the pitch in terms of what we might do if a certain scenario transpires.”