Joe Ramage: Jamie Sterry's Hartlepool United return is welcome but this is a crucial period for ex-Newcastle United defender

It can be difficult when these types of players are dealing with injuries causing them to miss games. But once they return, it shows just what you have been missing.

Even when circumstances are challenging, and it may be easier to sit things out away from the heat of confrontation, players, contrary to some belief, are always keen to get back involved.

And for Sterry that has been the case for much of the season.

First, it was in Portugal with a little niggle here keeping him out of the rest of pre-season. Then it was a little niggle there, which saw him sidelined for a couple of weeks in September. Next it was a back problem here keeping him out for around a month, before a calf problem there added another seven weeks to his time out of the first team.

For both player and club it has been frustrating.

But it’s even more frustrating given the significance of Sterry to this Hartlepool squad. He is one of few players you can hang your hat on to deliver consistent performances. He’s one of few players who you could see competing at a higher level, having believed to have been on Sunderland’s radar last summer before their promotion from League One, such are his aspirations.

To achieve those aspirations, however, we are now entering a critical point in Sterry’s career.

With just six months remaining on his deal at the Suit Direct Stadium, it’s imperative for the 27-year-old to put together a run of games if he is to entice the interest of clubs elsewhere for his services, or indeed remain at Hartlepool.

There’s no doubting Sterry’s ability. You don’t progress to the first team fringes at Newcastle United if there isn’t a little bit of something about you.

Sterry has had to redefine himself before overcoming mental health struggles when on loan at Crewe Alexandra before dealing with the heartache of being let go by his boyhood club. His 2022-23 injury nightmare is another test of that mental resolve.

Sterry was superb in his return to the Hartlepool side at Crawley. It’s no coincidence they were able to keep just a fourth clean sheet of the season with him back in the fold.

“I thought Jamie strolled in as if he hadn’t been away and that’s the sign of a good player,” said manager Keith Curle of his return.

But if Sterry is to maintain that subconscious thought held by others on his ability, this is a period whereby he will need to demonstrate it on a consistent basis.

It will very much be a case of ‘you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours’ for Sterry and Hartlepool over the next few months. An injury free Sterry featuring on a regular basis helps Hartlepool and could see them remain in the Football League which, in turn, will strengthen Sterry’s hand at the negotiating table when he sits down here, or elsewhere, to discuss terms.

It’s a significant period for both himself and the club and may well determine where both are plying their trade next season.