Newly-appointed Hartlepool United manager Darren Sarll vows to continue to foster the development of Pools' promising group of youngsters

Joe Grey, who already has over 100 Pools appearances under his belt despite still only being 20-years-old, enjoyed a fantastic season in which he finished with 13 goals.

Louis Stephenson, likewise, established himself as a fan favourite with a series of high energy displays after signing his first professional contract in December, while fellow teenagers Campbell Darcy, Max Storey and Alfie Steel all made their mark on the first team towards the end of the campaign.

And Sarll, who has worked as a youth team and academy coach at the likes of Brentford, Stevenage and Watford, admitted he's keen to continue to foster the youngsters' development.

"The best job in any football club is the under-18 job," he told the club website.

"You get the most freedom, the least amount of consequence and you get to work with young people who have this thirst and enthusiasm to be better, and they want you to make them better.

"At the back end of the season, the young players that were involved were refreshingly enthusiastic and energetic. I thought they brought some really good qualities to the team.

"It's something we do want to build on, and having an academy team close to the first team is going to be important here because the area, the North East, is such a hotbed of generational, good young players.

"We need to integrate them - at the right times - into our first team make up and make sure we give them the growth they need."