Lee Clark reveals his view on Hartlepool United's pre-season that fans will love ahead of Barrow opener
Hartlepool United host Barrow at Victoria Park on Saturday (KO 3pm).
Lee Clark is eagerly anticipating the new National League campaign after one of the best pre-seasons of his career.
Clark was appointed the new Pools head coach earlier this summer and alongside the club’s recruitment chiefs quickly set about revamping the squad after 13 left in the retained list. A total of 14 new signings have entered the doors at Victoria Park and after a successful pre-season, including last weekend’s 1-0 friendly win over Fleetwood Town, Clark is looking forward to the real action getting underway. Barrow head to The Vic on Saturday.
Clark said: “Pre-season couldn't have gone any better, it's been terrific but now the real stuff begins, so this is what we've geared up for, this is why, when we reported back at the end of June, this is what it was all about, and it's now upon us. “Obviously it's been well documented that this was a role that, you know, many times was talked about [for me], but didn't happen but things happen for a reason, and this is a fresh start for this football club with the new ownership, myself, new staff, new group of players, and everybody's looking forward to it.
“And, you know, we've got high expectations, so have the fans, and we want them to have that, because we want to be successful, we want to get this football club back to where it's been before, where I've managed against it, where I've come to watch them play in high-profile games. So we want to try and get those days back,” Clark told BBC Tees Sport at his pre-match press conference at Maiden Castle.
On pre-season, Clark added: “Couldn't have went any better. Even the game that we lost against Grimsby, there was so many positives to take from it, but there was lots of learning experiences as well that we could use, and which we did the following week, and we'll use that going forward as well. So I spoke to the players and said, I've had so many pre-seasons as a player now and a coach and a manager, but this is right up there with one of the best, if not the best, I've been involved in because of the application and the quality of the players.
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“The type of games we had, the build-up of the games, the standard going up each game we played, and giving us different tests. But as we all say, I've heard it many times in the last few years from hundreds, ex-players, from current managers and current players, you have pre-seasons where they don't go particularly well, but then the season starts brilliantly, you have pre-seasons that go absolutely perfect, and you start the season not so well, but the great work the lads have done carries on on Saturday.”