Hartlepool United manager calls for new additions in a bid to help solve his side's problems in front of goal
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone has called for new recruits to help Pools solve their problems in front of goal.
A lack of goals has plagued Pools all season and there are growing concerns that a continued absence of cutting edge could put an end to their hopes of mounting a play-off push between now and the end of the campaign.
Having lost Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 goals in 89 games during a prolific spell at Victoria Park, as well as the long-serving Joe Grey over the summer, Pools moved to sign Alex Reid and Danny Johnson as their replacements.
Yet while Dieseruvwe has made a fine start to life at Rochdale, finding the net 12 times in 19 appearances, and Grey is part of a York side who are in contention for the National League title, both Reid and Johnson have found things difficult at Victoria Park so far this season.
Johnson in particular has endured some well-documented struggles in front of goal and has failed to score in any of his first 26 Pools appearances, losing his place in the side and finding himself at loggerheads with sections of the fanbase.
Despite arriving with a decent goalscoring record at the likes of Gateshead, where he bagged 52 goals in 111 matches, Leyton Orient and Walsall - indeed, the 32-year-old scored a hat-trick for the Saddlers against Pools on the opening day of the 2021/22 campaign - the frontman has failed to fire since returning to the North East.
Having scored four goals in four consecutive pre-season games, fans were optimistic about Johnson's prospects this term but the experienced striker, who is renowned as a poacher, has struggled to settle at Victoria Park. While Johnson would surely admit his performances have left a lot to be desired, particularly in recent weeks, there is also a feeling that Pools have failed to play to his strengths.
Likewise, there have been growing suggestions that Pools have not been getting the best out of Reid, who found the net 17 times in 32 matches for a struggling Wealdstone side last season but has managed just five goals in 21 games so far this term.
Indeed, the 30-year-old has been cutting an increasingly frustrated figure up front on his own and there have been growing calls from the fanbase to play with two strikers in a bid to end the former Oldham man's isolation.
While Reid has, at times, continued to lead the line well, the frontman has been asked to plough a lone furrow of late and has failed to score in any of his last six appearances.
Featherstone has so far been reluctant to heed calls to accomodate a second striker in his side but a run of just three goals in six matches means the Pools boss is under pressure to find a solution, especially with new owner Landon Smith set to be in attendance for the next three games.
Indeed, only four teams have scored fewer goals than Pools, who have found the net 29 times in 26 National League matches, while the likes of York, 65, Boreham Wood, 48, and Carlisle, 45, have far outscored Featherstone's side.
Even if Featherstone remains unwilling to play with two up front, then it seems pretty clear that Pools can do a lot more to get the likes of Luke Charman and Adam Campbell closer to Reid, while there is also a sense that Vadaine Oliver, who scored four times in eight matches before picking up an injury that's seen him ruled out since late October, might make a difference when he returns to full fitness.
Even so, Pools look like they could use some more firepower up front and Featherstone admits he's hoping to strengthen in attacking areas in a bid to end his side's barren recent run in front of goal.
"A lack of goals has been a problem all season, whether it was me in charge or not," he said.
"When we're playing well we look like we'll score two or three goals; when we're not, we don't look like we're a threat at all.
"Players that want to get into the box more will help that, if we can sign a couple that are a bit more forward-thinking. We've got a lot of players that have similar profiles in midfield, so sometimes Reidy (Alex Reid) can look a bit isolated.
"I have to encourage the midfielders to get closer to Reidy and we need to play in a certain style that will get people closer to him. Like I say, when it's good we manage to get people around Reidy but when it's not, we drop off and seem to get deeper and deeper. It's up to us to sort that, but I think if we can get a few more forward-thinking players in the building then that helps massively."