Hartlepool United boss Lee Clark expresses 'pride' after opening day win over Barrow

Hartlepool United boss Lee Clark has expressed his pride after his side comfortably saw off Barrow in their National League opener at Victoria Park on Saturday afternoon.

Pools secured all three points in a hard-fought contest thanks to well-taken strikes from Will Harris and Jack Nolan, with impressive showings from the likes of Reiss McNally and Max Merrick ensuring that the home side were rarely threatened by their recently relegated visitors either.

And speaking to BBC Tees after the final whistle, Clark emphasised his satisfaction at a job well done. He said: “The emotion, to all the players, is pride. Excited by what can be achieved, but so proud of them and what they've done, how they've gone from the first day.

“You worry a bit when preseason goes as well as it does because you think, ‘Wow, is something going to go wrong when the real stuff matters?’, but that wasn't the case. The players have just moved on again and done everything you need to win a football match today - two tremendous goals, clean sheet, determination all over the pitch and physicality, because you know Barrow are a physical team. We know they [Barrow] are going to be strong throughout the season, so that's something that I'm delighted with.”

But despite the promising nature of Pools’ showing, Clark was eager to take a grounded stance on the result, reiterating just how much of the campaign is left to play.

When asked what Saturday’s win does for his side, he said: “It does nothing. It's one from 46. What we've done is, we've just got past the start position on the Great North Run, and there's a massive slog still to go. So we've just got to cross that start line, and we've still got the hills and the banks of South Shields to deal with. So, yeah, that's it. Three points.”

Saturday’s result puts Hartlepool fifth in the National League table after the first weekend of action. Their next league outing comes away from home against Aldershot Town next weekend, on Saturday, August 15th.