Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor discusses the change in Timi Odusina compared to his loan spell at AFC Fylde from Norwich City

The temporary signings of Mark Shelton, Gary Liddle, Macauley Southam-Hales, Timi Odusina and Rob Harker have ‘enhanced’ the side according to the Pools boss.

Challinor has previously worked with Odusina at his former club AFC Fylde, where the defender made nine appearances to help The Coasters reach the play-off final.

“He came into a club at Fylde last year and played a few games at full-back,” Challinor reflected.

“I think, as with a lot of centre-backs, especially young ones when they go out and play men’s football, they’ll go out and play sometimes as a midfielder or a full-back to find their feet a little bit.

“But he’s a year further on, a year stronger, a year more experienced. He had an injury which has kept him in the gym a bit more and he’s built physically.

“He has pace and that’s a massive attribute for a defender, particularly at the highest level.

“He wants to defend and head the ball, which are attributes that will potentially take him a long way as a defender and I think he’s improved game on game.

Challinor has been impressed with how Odusina and the four other Pools loan arrivals have settled in at the club.

“With loans, you’ve got to make sure you get a large proportion of them right because there will be some that won’t work out for whatever reason,” he added.

“We’ve been able to go out and get ones who have been able to come in and make a real impact and get the club and what it’s about.

“Lidds has been here previously and gets what the situation is, Shelts has played against the club and knows the sort of size of it. The other three are young lads who have come in and thrived under the pressure and the crowd.

“Macca is exactly what I want from a full-back all of them have come into a side that is doing well and they’ve only enhanced that.”