Hartlepool United midfielder Gavan Holohan insists promotion is '100 per cent achievable' after sealing Victoria Park return
Hartlepool United midfielder Gavan Holohan believes Pools can "100 per cent" finish in the National League play-off places this season.
The 34-year-old looks set to make his second Pools debut against relegation-threatened Aldershot on Saturday after sealing a permanent return to Victoria Park earlier in the week.
The Irishman enjoyed a hugely successful first spell in the North East, scoring 21 goals in 106 games and helping Pools win a memorable promotion back to the Football League under Dave Challinor, featuring 44 times and starting in the National League play-off final.
Indeed, the attack-minded midfielder knows exactly what it takes to get out of the fifth division having won promotion from the National League for the second time in as many seasons with Grimsby in 2022. Having fallen out of favour at Pools after Challinor left to take charge at Stockport County and was replaced by Graeme Lee, Holohan signed for the Mariners in March 2022. At the time, the North East Lincolnshire side looked like rank outsiders for the National League play-offs but a late surge saw them squeeze into the top seven before remarkable wins over Notts County, in which Holohan scored a late equaliser to send the game to extra time, Wrexham, with former Pools players Luke Waterfall and Mani Dieseruvwe on target in a sensational 5-4 victory, and Solihull Moors saw Grimsby promoted back to League Two.
Now, the popular Irishman is hoping to repeat the feat a third time, with Pools appearing to have plenty of work to do if they're to sneak into the top seven this term, let alone win promotion.
"Promotion is 100 per cent achievable, I'll be honest I wouldn't have come back otherwise," Holohan said.
"There might be a few people thinking I'm coming back just to coast and to have a last swansong, but that's not in my DNA. I'm coming back here because I'm hungry, I still have that desire to achieve things and promotion is what I have my eye on.
"It's going to take a lot of hard work and we'll need to go on a good run. We did it at Grimsby where we kind of came from nowhere and no one was really expecting it. Even the first time around here, I don't think anyone was really tipping us at the start of the season so we went under the radar a bit.
"We just have to look after our own business, win as many games as possible and see where it takes us."