Jack Hunter looking to play lead role in new look Hartlepool United

Jack Hunter is determined to lead from the front as he takes his place in what will be a new look Hartlepool United squad during the new National League season.

The former Gateshead and FC Halifax Town midfielder put pen-to-paper on a new one-year deal at the Prestige Group Stadium earlier this week and Pools also hold an option to extend that agreement by a further 12 months next summer. The deal was agreed after weeks of talks between Hunter, new Pools manager Lee Clark and Bromby and Partners head of football operations Chris Maxwell and came just days after Luke Charman also committed his future to the club.

Those deals mean Pools head into the summer with nine contracted players and Clark and newly appointed head of recruitment Chris Beech will hope to oversee a successful period in the transfer market in preparation for the new season. Hunter has expressed his determination to provide leadership for his new and current team-mates when they return for pre-season training next month and stressed the need for ‘good standards’ to be shown every day.

He told the club website: “I’m 28 now and I’ve played a lot of games at this level, so I feel I can help the group both on and off the pitch. You need good standards every day if you want to be successful and hopefully I can play my part in helping drive that within the squad. Whether that’s helping younger players, helping people settle in or just making sure standards stay high every day around training and matchdays, they’re all important parts of building a successful environment.”

Important

With 13 players departing the club since the end of last season, there will be a fresh feel about the Pools squad that will kick off the new National League season in August. New manager Lee Clark has already set out his plans for his side as he revealed he wants to provide supporters with ‘a team that reflects the energy, honesty and work ethic that people in this town expect’ after agreeing to become successor to former boss Nicky Featherstone earlier this month.

Hunter is also keen to ensure he is part of a successful Pools side that he hopes will compete for promotion and revealed there is a ‘good feeling’ around the club in the early days of Clark’s reign.

He said: “It was really important to me. I want to be part of a team that’s competing, winning games and pushing in the right direction and I believe that’s what everybody is working towards here. There’s obviously still a lot of work happening behind the scenes with the squad and staff, but it definitely feels like things are moving positively. It’s still early days, but there’s a good feeling around the club already and I’m excited to get going again and see what we can build over the next few months.”

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