Lee Clark seeks perfection from Hartlepool United after promising start to season
Hartlepool United will visit National League rivals Aldershot Town on Saturday afternoon.
Lee Clark has insisted Hartlepool United may never deliver the performance he wants because he will always strive for perfection from his players.
The new Pools head coach watched on as his players produced an impressive display to claim a 2-0 home win against National League rivals Barrow in what was the first competitive fixture of his Victoria Park reign. Goals from summer signings Will Harris and Jack Nolan were enough to see off the Bluebirds on a memorable opening day of the campaign as Clark and his players were backed by almost 6,000 supporters inside their famous old ground.
The performance has sparked excitement and enthusiasm amongst Poolies - but Clark is adamant there is more to come from his players. He told The Mail: “That will never happen because even when they do deliver it I will be wanting more. So I will always aim for perfection. That was good but there are lots of aspects of the game, what you call the dirty side of football, where you have to be aggressive and competitive with everybody, but we take lots of positives from the game.”
Experience
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One of the most positive aspects of Saturday’s win was on-loan goalkeeper Max Merrick producing a solid performance and keeping a clean sheet in the first competitive appearance of his season-long stint with Pools. Clark was pleased with the Chelsea youngster’s display and believes Merrick possesses ‘outstanding qualities’. He said: “You don’t get to work in a football club like Chelsea if you don’t have talent. He’s now got that position where he can get this experience with us and he’s shown outstanding qualities.”
Your next Hartlepool United read: Hartlepool United's 'terrific talent' hailed after making immediate impact against Barrow