Hartlepool United defender Tom Parkes hails teenager as "brilliant footballer"
Hartlepool United defender Tom Parkes has hailed teenager Campbell Darcy as a "brilliant footballer".
The 19-year-old only made one senior appearance this season, coming on as a late substitute in last month's win over rivals Gateshead, but impressed out on loan at Northern Premier League Premier Division side Whitby Town, where he played under Pools legend Gary Liddle.
Darcy made his first Pools appearance in January 2023, making a late cameo from the bench in an FA Cup clash against Stoke alongside Louis Stephenson, who has gone on to establish himself in the first team.
The young defender made two appearances at the back end of the 2023/24 season under Kevin Phillips, impressing at right-back. Indeed, Darcy had been in line for his first senior start when Pools travelled to relegated Dorking Wanderers on the final day of the campaign, only to miss out after turning his ankle in training.
Despite featuring as a right-back under Phillips, there is a sense that Darcy is developing into a central-defender, with both Lennie Lawrence and Anthony Limbrick full of praise for his recent progress. Having spent time working under Liddle in North Yorkshire, Darcy has been back at Pools to learn from the likes of Parkes, Luke Waterfall and Billy Sass-Davies. Parkes, who made 42 appearances and was one of his side's standout performers this term, admits he expects the teenager to have a big future at Pools.
"Cam is a brilliant footballer," he said.
"He's young and he's got loads of potential. He's got everything I'd love to have as a footballer; he's athletic, he's quick and he's powerful.
"Me, Luke and Bill have been working with him and teaching him things, how we might do things if we were playing. He's taking it on board and he's developing all the time.
"He's got a bright future ahead of him and hopefully we get to see a bit more of him at the start of next season. He's got a fantastic future and I can see good things happening for him."