Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper 'earned' Hartlepool United deal - Clark
Former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Nathan Fisher became Hartlepool United’s thirteenth summer signing on Sunday.
Nathan Fisher’s attitude and desire were key factors in Hartlepool United’s decision to hand a one-year deal to the former Middlesbrough academy goalkeeper.
Fisher has been a regular in Boro’s Under-18s and Under-21s sides in recent seasons and remained highly-rated within the Championship club’s academy setup despite not making the breakthrough into the senior ranks at the Riverside Stadium. The 21-year-old left Boro when his contract came to a close at the end of last season and he spent time on trial at National League North newcomers Hebburn Town earlier this summer before he was handed a chance to impress with Pools in recent weeks.
After training alongside player-goalkeeper coach Adam Smith and featuring in a number of pre-season friendlies, Fisher has not put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal at Victoria Park and Pools have an option to extend that agreement by a further 12 months. After securing his thirteenth signing of a busy summer, head coach Lee Clark backed the former Boro youngster to progress during his time at the club.
He told the club website: “Nathan has earned this opportunity through the way he has applied himself during his time with us in pre-season. He came into the group with a great attitude and has impressed us with the way he has trained, conducted himself and responded to everything that has been asked of him. He’s a talented young goalkeeper with good physical attributes, who’s comfortable with the ball at his feet and has a real desire to keep learning and improving.
“Adam Smith has worked closely with Nathan over the last few weeks and has been really impressed with his potential. We believe this is the right environment for him to continue his development, while also providing strong competition within our goalkeeping department. Nathan has spent a number of years within an excellent academy system at Middlesbrough and is now ready to make the transition into senior football. He is hungry, ambitious and understands that he will have to work hard every day, but we are delighted to have him with us and look forward to helping him progress.”
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