Hartlepool United striker Vadaine Oliver enjoying life at Pools after getting off the mark for new side against Tamworth
Hartlepool United striker Vadaine Oliver is enjoying life at Victoria Park after scoring his first Pools goal during Saturday's draw with Tamworth.
The veteran frontman opened his account for his new side after being introduced from the bench at the weekend, scoring a quarter of an hour after coming on to salvage a point for his side after Luton loanee Oli Lynch had headed the Lambs in front six minutes into the second half. Pools fans will, of course, be hoping it's the first of many, although Oliver is renowned more for his hold up play and aerial prowess than being a prolific goalscorer. Indeed, the veteran has endured a lean few years in front of goal, scoring four times in 31 games last term - Oliver began the campaign at Bradford, before spending time on loan at Shrewsbury - while he managed just one goal in 23 appearances during the 2023/24 season.
Goals have proven difficult to come by for Pools so far this season, who are the National League's joint second lowest scorers having found the net 11 times in their first 12 games. Simon Grayson's side have failed to score in five games this term and endured a difficult run in which they drew a blank four times in five matches. Having lost the goals of Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 times in 89 appearances during a prolific spell at Victoria Park but signed for Rochdale after failing to agree a new deal to remain in the North East, as well as the creativity of Reyes Cleary, who provided six goals and nine assists in 20 matches while on loan from West Brom, Pools moved to sign Alex Reid and Danny Johnson ahead of the new season. Although Reid, who scored 17 goals in 32 games during a successful stint at Wealdstone last season, enjoyed a fine start to the new campaign, finding the net three times in his first four appearances, the frontman is now without a goal in his last seven matches and missed Saturday's game with a hamstring injury. Johnson, meanwhile, has endured a torrid start to life at Victoria Park and has failed to score in his first 12 games, losing his place in the starting XI as a result. Pools turned to Oliver at the beginning of September to give them a different option in front of goal in a bid to make them more threatening in the final third. The experienced striker, who counts Lincoln, Crewe, Mansfield, York, Notts County, Morecambe, Northampton, Gillingham and Stevenage among his long list of former clubs, has made four substitute appearances so far and there is a sense he still needs time to get up to speed having not had a full pre-season after being a free agent throughout the summer. The initial signs are positive after the frontman got off the mark on Saturday and Oliver could have a significant role to play ahead of a testing run of fixtures, with Pools taking on Carlisle and York, the two sides with the biggest budgets in the division, this week.
"I'm enjoying it," Oliver told The Red Radio.
"It's been an adjustment having not played in a while, I missed out on pre-season. Thankfully there was the PFA (pre-season training camp), I was down there for a couple of weeks so I wasn't too far off it. I'm finding my feet well, we've got a really good squad. I've been made to feel really welcome and I'm enjoying it.
"It was the call from the gaffer that convinced me to come. There are quite a few players that I know and I feel are really good quality signings. I had a really good conversation, he (Grayson) told me how he felt me coming would make a difference in the push for promotion this year. It was that energy from him, that real confidence that the team is good enough to achieve what we want to this year, and that's promotion.
"It's all about sniffing out those opportunities as a striker. We had a few opportunities and we were a bit unlucky, thankfully I was able to get on the end of mine. It's a huge relief, you always want to get off the mark early. With my game, I feel like it's better when I start games, but it's a building process now, I've got to get up to that fitness stage. It's a huge relief as a striker coming in and getting a goal early doors; it would have been better if it was the winner, that was the only downside."