John Askey delivers further comment on Nicky Featherstone's Hartlepool United future

Hartlepool and Featherstone have been synonymous with one another for the best part of a decade after the midfielder made a dramatic return to the club recently following his exit in the summer.

Featherstone was out of contract following Hartlepool’s relegation from the Football League and, despite the midfielder’s intentions to remain with the club, was unable to reach terms over a new deal in a saga which rumbled on throughout the summer and into pre-season.

Eventually, however, it brought an end to a near nine-year stay for Featherstone at Victoria Park, having made 380 appearances for the club – a feat which put him eighth in the club’s all-time list of appearance makers.

Featherstone was the first to break the news, just a week out from the opening day of the season at Barnet, expressing his disappointment at not being able to reach an agreement when saying: “It’s not the message I thought I’d be writing, nor is it the message I wanted to write.”

The midfielder added: “I’m gutted with the way things have worked out but I want nothing but the best for the football club."

Fast-forward two months and Featherstone was back in blue and white on a one-month contract after John Askey was dealt a series of crippling injury blows, particularly in midfield.

Since then, Featherstone has featured in all but two minutes of the six games he has been available to play in, taking him above Brian Honour into seventh place among Hartlepool’s all-time appearance makers, demonstrating just how important a role he can still play in Askey’s side.

But with Pools not set to return to action until their meeting with Ebbsfleet United on Saturday, November 11, the 35-year-old might have played his final game for the club when scoring his 23rd goal in the defeat to Rochdale.

“We need to speak to Nicky and try and do something,” Askey updated BBC Radio Tees.

"Again he’s shown his worth. If one or two had his attitude we’d be okay. People like that, you don’t play as many games as he’s played without having the quality and desire. It’s a shame he’s not 10 years younger, but he is where he is in his career.

“I thought Nicky, at 35, was probably as good a player as we had and he couldn’t have done anymore to try and win us the game.

"He’s come in to try and help us when we’ve been really short in midfield. We’ve got a decent relationship with him where we can talk it through and hopefully he wants to stay a little bit longer.”

Featherstone is not the only player Hartlepool will need to make a decision on over the coming days and weeks, with Middlesbrough midfielder Terrell Agyemang also set to see his one month loan deal expire with the club in November.

Agyemang joined ahead of the FA Cup fourth qualifying round defeat to Chester and has made four appearances in that time.