Kieran Burton: The inside track on Hartlepool United's first summer signing

Burton makes the step up into the National League after impressing for Scarborough with Hartlepool boss John Askey confirming he is a player the club have watched a number of times.

The young defender arrived alongside goalkeeper Joel Dixon as Askey made his first moves in the market this summer.

And to find out more about what Hartlepool can expect from their new defender, we caught up with Andy Bloomfield of The Scarborough News for the inside track.

Kieran Burton arrives at Hartlepool with plenty of potential, is that fair to say?

Yes, Kieran has a lot of potential. He made a big impact for Boro, especially in the first half of the season where he played as a left-sided wing-back and as a centre-back in the five-man defence.

What type of defender are Hartlepool getting?

He is very fast for a tall, solid defender, and is capable of pushing on – shown in his goal output scoring five, including a hat-trick against Kidderminster. He is also very good in the air.

Where is he best suited in defence?

He is very versatile in that he is equally at home as a wing-back or a centre-back in a three. He can also play in a centre-back pair, although Boro didn't play that formation much.

I think he was best suited on the left-side of three centre-backs as he reads the game well and has enough pace to track back and cover.

How did he fare in his time with Scarborough?

Kieran was outstanding last season considering it was his first season at National League North level.

He started the season on the bench and he forced his way into the starting line-up and kept his place until around March. During the run-in he seemed to lose his regular starting berth as Will Thornton returned from fitness to partner Bailey Gooda and veteran Ryan Qualter, but he still managed to make a few starts in April.

What would you say his strengths are?

I would say his strengths are as an attacking presence in the six-yard box from set pieces.

He reads the game very well as a defender and is very comfortable on the ball. I think towards the end of the season he struggled for consistency but, considering the amount of games he started, he did very well and it’s no surprise that he has stepped up to National League level.

He also seems to have a very good attitude for his age, a point reiterated by his team-mates on Twitter following his departure.

Do you think he has what it takes to step up to the National League with Hartlepool?

Technically he was very good for a number of months for Boro, especially for his age, and with the added experience at Hartlepool around him he will only improve.

I think he is at the stage of his development where playing with better players will only improve his levels.

Starting 32 of 46 games for a part-time club who missed out on the play-offs by the barest of margins on the final day shows how promising he is as a defender and I am sure all Boro fans will wish him the very best.

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