New Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson discusses his side's promotion prospects

The new Pools boss, who has won four promotions in English football and led Lalitpur City to the Nepalese Super League title in April, faces the unenviable task of assembling a squad capable of challenging for promotion with less than two months to go until the new National League season kicks off on August 9. Pools, who are one of just five National League teams yet to add to their squad this summer, have lost ground on most of their rivals in the wake of a dramatic, controversial and dispiriting few months off the pitch. Now, Grayson will have to make up for lost time; as it stands, Pools have just 11 players under contract while the likes of Mani Dieseruvwe, Joe Grey and David Ferguson could all leave the club over the coming weeks.

Despite all that, chairman and owner Raj Singh, who has been at the centre of a storm ever since his sudden and unexpected decision to resign in March, revealed in response to Grayson's appointment earlier this month that he was targeting promotion next term. With Singh now apparently set to remain at the helm following a contested vote among season ticket holders that called for his return, Pools will need to make a bright start to the new campaign as they look to rebuild the relationship between the enigmatic owner and the frustrated fanbase. If Grayson is not able to bring the feelgood factor back to Victoria Park, then the sense of ill-feeling, already close to boiling point, risks spilling over.

Yet this is Hartlepool United, and the fact that Pools have been a Football League club for almost their entire history means fans expect their side to be challenging to get back there, no matter how difficult the circumstances. While Pools supporters might feel with some justification that their side remains a Football League club despite falling on hard times of late, so do fans of York, Carlisle, Rochdale, Southend and Yeovil, while a number of teams who have never before been in the promised land of the top four divisions - the likes of Altrincham, Solihull and Eastleigh - are pushing hard to get there. Grayson, then, will have to manage the considerable weight of expectation that comes with being Pools boss despite the difficult circumstances he is set to inherit from outgoing head coach Anthony Limbrick.

In all likelihood, Grayson will be doing his best to shut out as much of the noise, speculation and opinion as possible, while also attempting to rally his new team to his cause. Not only will Pools have to overcome their own considerable problems over the coming months, they'll also have to compete with the financial pulling power of York, Carlisle and Forest Green Rovers, the togetherness of Southend, the positive signs from Rochdale, Eastleigh and Sutton and the managerial nous of Altrincham's Phil Parkinson and Tamworth's Andy Peaks. There are also a number of wildcards to consider; Yeovil are under new ownership and will want to build on last season's consolidation, Morecambe are edging towards a takeover while Scunthorpe, who won promotion from the National League North last term, have Football League pedigree of their own.

Speaking to the official club website, Grayson has talked up his side's chances of being competitive next season as he gears up for one of the toughest challenges of his managerial career.

"The National League's really tough," he said.

"When you look at the likes of York and Carlisle, who are spending some big money, Forest Green have spent some money, I'm not saying we're going to be on that level, but we're going to try and be very competitive with the players that we bring in.

"If we've got a team that gives everything every week and will run through a brick wall for the supporters and the badge that they're wearing, then that's all I can ask for.

"My mantra throughout football has always been - have no regrets. That goes to the players; if you wake up on a Sunday morning after the game, win, lose or draw, if you've given everything then you can have no regrets. Don't give everything, you might think 'oh, I wish I could have done that'.

"I want players to have no regrets, to enjoy themselves and to come into work with a smile on their face. But when we're working, we're working 100 per cent. I want players to be 100 per cent committed to training; anything I ask them to do, I want them to do it. Also, we want to have some fun and enjoyment because football's all about enjoying yourself and playing with a smile on your face."

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