Hartlepool United manager Dave Challinor praises backing from Raj Singh during coronavirus pandemic as he discusses his playing budget and possibility of future signings

Despite operating on a significantly reduced budget this season due to the coronavirus pandemic, Challinor has been able to add to his squad over the past month or so with the arrival of now top scorer Luke Armstrong on loan from Salford City until the end of the season as well as former Newcastle United defender Jamie Sterry on a short-term deal.

The signings have helped Pools climb to second in the National League table with Challinor still looking to bring some new faces in.

“The chairman has been great with me and I’m comfortable that if I go to him and say I need this player then he’d do everything he could to help me,” the Pools boss told The Mail.

“We’re also very realistic and we’re not going to go and throw money away willy-nilly on players that I don’t think will improve our squad or give us a better chance."

Hartlepool’s originally allocated playing budget for the season has effectively been used up but Singh has shown some flexibility following the £285,000 allocation from the National Lottery grant the club received over the first three months of the season.

How the rest of the season will be funded without supporters remains unclear at this stage with a suspension to the season remaining a possibility should the National League not be able to satisfy its member clubs.

And Challinor has admitted that he may have to get players out in order to bring people in.

Josh MacDonald, Claudio Ofosu and Joe Grey are among three players who could be loaned out should the season continue as planned.

“The likelihood is that if we bring players in then some may have to go out,” he added.

“That’s not going out due to us not wanting them here, it’s about them getting out and playing football.

"For some of them, it’s about looking at the bigger picture because we’ve got some young players in the squad who aren’t getting as much football.

"It’s important we look at the bigger picture with them and give them the best chance so we benefit further down the line.”

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