Hartlepool United manager has his say on futures of Danny Johnson and Nathan Ferguson after pair omitted from Solihull Moors matchday squad
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone insists Danny Johnson and Nathan Ferguson are still part of his plans after the pair were left out of the matchday squad for Saturday's trip to Solihull Moors.
Following a flurry of new additions in the wake of American businessman and investor Landon Smith's takeover of the club on New Year's Eve, Featherstone was forced to leave a handful of senior pros out of his squad at the weekend for pretty much the first time since he replaced former boss Simon Grayson in October.
With new signings Charlie Caton, who scored on his debut against title-chasing York City last time out, and Calvin Okike both named among the substitutes, Johnson and Ferguson were left at home as Pools took a big step towards the National League play-off places by coming from two goals down to beat Solihull 4-3 in a thrilling contest in the West Midlands.
Johnson in particular has endured a torrid time at Victoria Park having been signed over the summer in a bid to replace the talismanic Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 goals in 89 games during a prolific spell in the North East. Having scored goals at the likes of Gateshead, Leyton Orient and Walsall, where he bagged a hat-trick against Pools on the opening day of the 2022/23 campaign, supporters had been optimistic that the 32-year-old would prove to be a shrewd acquisition.
Despite scoring four goals in four successive pre-season games, however, things could hardly have gone worse for the experienced frontman, who has failed to find the net in any of his first 30 competitive outings. Having struggled to make much of an impact in the early weeks of the season, Johnson fell out of favour and has since been reduced to a bit-part role, passing up a golden chance to end his barren run when he missed a penalty during December's humiliating FA Trophy defeat at the hands of Northern Premier League Division One Midlands side Anstey Nomads.
In the eyes of many fans, it's hard to see how Johnson turns his Pools career around, with the frontman seemingly at loggerheads with supporters and now totally out of favour under Featherstone. With the forward out of contract in the summer, it feels as though Johnson could well be heading for the exit sooner rather than later.
Ferguson, likewise, has struggled to make much of an impression since being signed as a free agent in September, making just nine substitute appearances and one start in the National League. Despite boasting considerable experience at the level thanks to spells with Southend, Wealdstone and Maidenhead, the 30-year-old has found it tough going in the North East and his loose pass cost Pools a goal on his one and only league start to date, October's 3-3 draw with Sutton United. Much like Johnson, the Guyanese international appears to be facing an uphill battle if he's to turn his Pools career around.
Even so, Featherstone insists that the out of favour pair remain part of his plans as Pools bid to push for the play-offs between now and the end of the season. After Saturday's win over Solihull helped them keep pace with seventh-placed Southend, Pools have 13 more games to go and Featherstone feels he could well have to call on Johnson and Ferguson again between now and the end of term.
"They're part of the squad still," he said.
"We've created a squad now where, for the first time since I've been in, I've got decisions to make on the bench as well; I don't think I've ever had to leave anyone out.
"It's nothing personal; again, it's horses for courses. I just felt like today (Saturday), we needed this personnel and this group. I felt like we had to win the game so I took Smudge (Adam Smith, back-up goalkeeper) off the bench; we didn't have a keeper on the bench. We just thought we wanted to get as many attacking options as we could on the bench to bring on if we needed. I felt like the group of 18 players we went with today gave us the best opportunity to go on and win the game."