Myles Anderson on his Hartlepool future, the impact of Craig Hignett and how Italian experience has proved invaluable at Pools

The former Blackburn Rovers and Aberdeen defender only signed a one-year deal last summer, and much like the vast majority of Craig Hignett’s men, finds himself with no long-term guarantees at Pools.

When asked about his future, Anderson said: “Hartlepool is a fantastic club.

“The following we have and the size of the club does not deserve to be in this league.

“There is massive potential here. All I want to do is give my all for the shirt.”

It has been interesting, exciting, there’s been some disappointment. It has been up and down - that’s the nature of football at this level.”

The Londoner is starting to produce the kind of all-action, body-on-the-line performances which saw Matthew Bates and then director of football Hignett make him their first signing of the summer.

And he says he’s thriving on first-team football at Pools and the added responsibility in an inexperienced back three.

“I enjoy the responsibility,” he said.

“At the start of the season we had Davo, with Mags and they Raynesey came in for a couple of games.

“I like leading the line, talking with the boys, it’s great.

“Az & PK have been great to play with.

“There seems to be a calmness in the group. People are encouraging each other to express themselves out on the pitch and be themselves in and around the training ground.

“I am enjoying playing for Hartlepool. All the players are now.

“And I think you can see that out on the pitch.

“The main thing I feel is a trust. There is a trust between the manager and players, and we trust him, too.

“Our performances are reflecting that - the spirit, the encouragement and now the results.”

Former boss Richard Money talked a lot about the need for a magic wand to turnaround Hartlepool’s fortunes but Hignett seems to have done it in less than a month.

Anderson says he loves playing for Hignett, who has boosted morale in the camp in his time at the helm.

“There seems to be a good team spirit, long may it continue,” said Anderson.

“The manager has brought a calmness to the team. Everyone understands their roles better - there are clear messages coming from the coaching staff.”

Three at the back is a system Pools have used since day one this season - barring a little change to four under Money.

And it’s something that suits Anderson down to the ground - especially as his footballing education was spent mostly in Italy.

“My three seasons in Italy involved me playing on the left of a back three, so this is a system that I am kind of used to,” he said.

“That’s a system I have played most and I can help the team to understand it. It was something we took to well early on this season.”

Bromley are the next visitors to the Super 6 Stadium tomorrow, kick off 3pm.

Anderson is hopeful Pools can translate their decent away form - which has seen them pick up four points and two clean sheets on their travels in the last seven days - back to the north east.

“We go into the game with some momentum. We are on a bit of a run and we feel confident,” he said.

“We are looking forward to getting a positive result in front of our own fans, which is something we have not done enough.”

At 29, Anderson is the elder statesman of the Hartlepool backline.
They started at the Kuflink Stadium on Saturday with three of their five at the back under the age of 22.

While Anderson’s performances have gone up a notch in recent times, another defender has broken on the scene. And it’s come as no shock to Anderson.

“He went on loan to Blyth and by all accounts did a great job there. He has been showing himself to be a very good player in training all season but he has had some fitness issues,” said Anderson on the form of Aaron Cunningham.

“Little niggles and setbacks have not helped but when he has been called upon he’s come in and stepped up to the plate.

“We all knew how good a player he was, now everyone is seeing it on the pitch.”