Hartlepool United striker Alex Reid admits he'd "love" interim manager Nicky Featherstone to be named next permanent Pools boss following Truro win
Hartlepool United striker Alex Reid admits he would "love" interim manager Nicky Featherstone, who he hailed as "brilliant", to land the Pools manager's job on a permanent basis.
Reid scored his second goal in three games as Pools overcame challenging conditions and the spirited resistance of bottom club Truro to extend their unbeaten run to seven matches on Saturday.
Since taking interim charge, Featherstone, who has now been at the helm for seven weeks following the sacking of former boss Simon Grayson in October, has led Pools to four wins and three draws in the National League, closing the gap between themselves and the play-off places to just two points.
Despite enduring a nightmarish start to life in the dugout as Pools were dumped out of the FA Cup at the fourth qualifying round stage by Northern Premier League Premier Division side Gainsborough Trinity, Featherstone has overseen a remarkable turnaround in terms of both results and performances of late.
Certainly, the 37-year-old has been aided by the return from injury of the talismanic Reid, who rounded off the scoring as Pools beat Truro, who are managed by former boss John Askey, at the weekend.
Reid, who was signed over the summer to replace Mani Dieseruvwe, who found the net 43 times in 89 games during a prolific spell at Victoria Park, made a fast start to life in the North East, scoring three goals in his first four league appearances, but then endured a barren run of nine matches without a goal while he also spent time on the sidelines following a hamstring injury.
Since returning, however, Reid has looked back to his best and it would seem as though Featherstone's emphasis on attacking, progressive football has benefitted the 30-year-old more than most.
While it's still unclear who is set to be named the next permanent Pools manager - the club said in an update that their hunt for Grayson's successor "remains ongoing" despite interest from some "excellent candidates", while the Hartlepool Mail revealed that Pools have held talks with former Altrincham boss Phil Parkinson and well as Chris Beech, who made more than 100 appearances at Victoria Park as a player - Reid has thrown his support behind Featherstone following Saturday's hard-fought win over Truro.
"The weather's been horrible - it was wet, windy and grey, but we got three points on the board and that's all that matters," the frontman told The Red Radio.
"The pitch was heavy, when you're playing up front on your own you've got to try to judge the bounce and judge the wind while battling against defenders.
"Like we said in the dressing room, 'let's play the conditions, if it needs to go long, then it goes long, but if we can play short, then we will'.
"We spoke in the changing room before and we said, 'if we want to do anything this season, then these are the games we've got to win'.
"No disrespect to any team, but we've got our own ambitions and if we're going to do anything, get in the play-offs or whatever, then we need to put teams like this (Truro) to bed. Thankfully we did.
"We're undefeated in seven since Feaths (Featherstone) has come in, I think he's been brilliant.
"The team morale in the dressing room is brilliant, everyone's buzzing.
"I've said it in interviews before, I'd love him to get the job on a permanent basis.
"We're in a good place as a team, the spirit's good and we've got our Christmas party, so we're just going to enjoy ourselves."