Joe Ramage: Trust the Hartlepool United process but if the season started now you would be concerned

Four weeks Hartlepool United have now been back in the building when it comes to fitness testing and pre-season training, as we’re very much over the initial precipice of the summer exertions.

While Paul Hartley remains focused on the ‘minutes in legs’ approach, there will, ultimately, be a keen eye cast over Pools’ performances, styles of play and how certain players are shaping up now ahead of July 30 and the trip to Walsall.

And Pools certainly have the fixtures to establish an opinion on some of those finer details with Lincoln City, Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland all set to head to the Suit Direct Stadium over the next 11 days.

But when you start putting a numerical value on it, you start to realise just how close we are to that curtain raiser at the Banks’s Stadium.

Suddenly, that date is creeping up on us which means it is worthwhile taking stock of how things are shaping up with Pools heading into the new campaign.

And despite the target of a play-off push being set, as things stand you have to concede that seems ambitious.

The main reason for that is the fact that ‘goals win you games’ and at the moment, Pools do not appear to have a multitude of goals within their ranks.

Marcus Carver, Joe Grey and Jake Hastie represent the focal points of the attack, at the time of writing, which leaves plenty of work to be done if Hartley is to fulfil his hope of having strength in depth within his squad for the first day of the season.

And with that, you do have to ask the question about some of Pools’ recent business, at least when it comes to outgoings.

With options in the final third one concern, options at the heart of the defence must be another with Euan Murray’s injury added to by Mouhamed Niang’s substitution against Marske United.

Niang himself has been filling in at centre back in place of Murray, with the Senegalese more accustomed to a midfield role, while Reagan Ogle completed the second half as an impromptu centre back at Marske.

“It’s needs must,” was Hartley’s response to the situation but needs must will not be an ideal situation to be in come July 30.

In Omar Bogle and Neill Byrne, Pools had two players under contract with the club, albeit two players who saw their futures elsewhere.

But the question may be whether or not Pools were a little too premature in sanctioning their sales before seeing new recruits in the building.

Of course, Hartley is within his rights to justify those sales in that he does not want players who no longer wish to be at the club, but with two weeks to go until the start of the season, those key bodies may have been useful to still have around, even with a view to their exit further down the line.

You have to believe Pools will be busy over the next fortnight, and indeed up until September 1, and at this stage you have to trust the process.

But if the season were to start this weekend, you would be concerned.