Hartlepool United manager 'buzzing' for Sam Folarin following attacker's impressive cameo in Altrincham win
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone was full of praise for Sam Folarin following the attacker's impressive cameo during Saturday's 1-0 win over Altrincham.
Featherstone, who had vowed to give the 25-year-old "an opportunity" after he returned from a loan spell with National League South side Chelmsford City earlier this month, handed the attacker his first Pools appearance since September when he replaced Adam Campbell with 17 minutes of normal time remaining at the weekend.
At the time, a momentous afternoon for Pools, who were celebrating their first home game since American businessman and investor Landon Smith completed his takeover of the club on New Year's Eve, looked to be heading towards a drab goalless draw. Smith, who is the co-founder of real estate company Tailwind Group, had been welcomed onto the Victoria Park pitch with fireworks and plenty of fanfare ahead of the game but there was little to no spark from the home side's lacklustre performance.
With the hosts struggling to force the issue as the game drifted towards what would have been an underwhelming stalemate, Folarin was given a rare opportunity in a Pools shirt - just his 21st appearance since he signed in January last year - as he looked to inject some life into the home side's tentative showing.
It didn't take long for Folarin to make his mark, with the former Middlesbrough man picking out fellow substitute Matty Daly with an inch-perfect cross moments after his introduction. Daly seemed to have the goal at his mercy but his close-range header somehow clipped the crossbar when he looked destined to score.
Just when it was starting to feel like it might not be the home side's day, the fleet-footed Folarin drove to the byline and delivered another threatening ball into the box, with Alex Reid going down under a challenge from defender Dan Sassi and referee Aaron Jackson pointing to the spot. Although the referee's debatable decision to award Pools a penalty left Altrincham manager Neil Gibson incandescent after the game, the bumper home crowd of well over 5,000 fans didn't care when Reid dusted himself off and, after a long delay, beat goalkeeper Luke Hutchinson from 12 yards to secure all three points on a momentous day for Featherstone side's.
While Reid will rightly receive many of the plaudits for his nerveless penalty, ending the frontman's barren run of six matches without a goal, it was Folarin's introduction that appeared to make all the difference for Pools.
The forward will now be hoping to revive his Pools career having previously appeared destined to leave Victoria Park this summer. Folarin signed for Pools in January last year following a generally successful spell with League Two Harrogate, scoring 15 goals in 87 matches. Indeed, the attacker caught the eye against Pools for the Sulphurites on New Year's Day 2023, scoring a superb goal following a lung-busting forward run and impressing with his raw pace and power.
Certainly, Folarin's natural attributes meant Pools fans were optimistic when he put pen to paper on an 18-month contract at Victoria Park. However, the frontman has struggled to live up to his initial promise, scoring just once in 21 appearances - a staggering 19 of which have come from the bench.
One of the biggest issues for Pools has been fitting Folarin into the side, with the attacker not especially well-suited to either Anthony Limbrick or Simon Grayson's 3-5-2 formations. At his best on the flank where he can run at defenders and make the most of his pace, Folarin was utilised as either a striker or wing-back and struggled to settle in both roles.
Having made a handful of fleeting substitute appearances at the start of the season under Grayson, Folarin fell out of favour altogether and was shipped out on loan to National League South side Chelmsford, where he found the net twice in 18 matches, in September. Having made a bright start at the Melbourne Stadium, scoring a brace during a thumping win away at Tonbridge Angels at the beginning of November, the attacker appeared to run out of steam in Essex and the Clarets opted not to extend his loan when it expired earlier this month.
Following his return to Victoria Park, many fans expected Folarin to head out on loan again to see out the remainder of his contract elsewhere but Featherstone told the Hartlepool Mail he would be given his chance to impress in the North East. Having taken that chance on Saturday, the forward now looks set for further inclusion - indeed, some supporters are talking up his prospects of being handed just his third Pools start ahead of Tuesday night's visit of rock bottom Gateshead - as Pools look to add some much-needed pace and purpose to their forward line.
While Folarin looks to be still very much a work in progress, he is one of just a few players in the Pools squad with enough pace and running power to genuinely stretch National League defences and Featherstone was delighted with his impact at the weekend.
"Sam Folarin has been really unfortunate," the Pools boss told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"He came in last January, probably exactly a year ago, and he's had two starts in that time. More than anything, that's because of the formation; we signed a winger, but he was playing wing-back and he suffered massively because of that.
"A lot of his game time was coming on and trying to play out of position, that isn't easy. Sam is blessed with a lot of pace and an ability to take people on. Today (Saturday), the two crosses he put in were the most quality we had from our side in the game.
"I'm buzzing for Sam, he's had a really tough time here of late. He's had to drop the levels and go to Chelmsford; he started really well, and then for whatever reason they didn't renew the loan. I'm buzzing for Sam that he can come in and impact the game in a really positive manner."