Hartlepool United winger Jermaine Francis reflects on "proud moment" after winning two more international caps for Grenada

The 23-year-old featured as The Spice Boys continued their impressive recent form, beating the British Virgin Islands and Cuba to extend their winning run to five matches. The winger, who made his debut from the bench during a 1-1 draw with Suriname in September 2023, has gone on to win 15 international caps so far, scoring three times.

Having signed from National League champions Barnet in July, Francis has been one of the outstanding Pools performers so far this season. While the forward was reduced to just five substitute appearances for the Bees last term, he caught the eye during an impressive loan spell at fellow National League side Braintree, scoring eight goals in 30 games - finding the net in a 1-1 draw against Pools in February - as the Iron narrowly avoided relegation under Steve Pitt.

Almost from the moment of his arrival, Francis has been a hit on the terraces at Victoria Park. The wideman, who has scored three goals in 16 games so far, opened his account with a superb head during August's win over Woking and has established himself as a fan favourite thanks to his skill, speed and determination.

What's more, Francis appears to have formed a strong connection with the supporters, taking to X to apologise for a poor run of results and performances at the beginning of October and drawing praise for his "unbelievable attitude" from interim boss Nicky Featherstone after racing home from international duty two days earlier than expected following the sudden sacking of manager Simon Grayson.

Having rubbed shoulders with the likes of Wimbledon's Myles Hippolyte and Motherwell's Regan Charles-Cook in the Caribbean, Francis is now determined to help propel Pools back into play-off contention and the winger admits he's been enjoying life under interim boss Featherstone.

"It's a proud moment," the attacker told The Red Radio after he was asked about his latest international exploits.

"I've been doing it for two years now, so obviously I'm a bit more used to it, but still every single time I'm really grateful for the opportunities I get.

"You're learning from every single person that you play with or play against, it doesn't matter. Still, to have players like Myles Hippolyte and Regan (Charles-Cook), is amazing and I learn a lot from these kinds of players. I try to implement things from them into my game and to help out some of the younger lads as well.

"Even when Simon was here, Feaths would still help me a lot. As soon as I heard the news, I felt like I had to come back straight away to try to help. At the end of the day, the main thing is Feaths is in charge now and we're loving playing under him at the moment."

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