Partnership promise and strikers on form: The key takeways from Hartlepool United's latest pre-season success

Hartlepool’s latest pre-season outing saw them travel to Northern League neighbours Redcar where, after a competitive opening 45 minutes, Pools were able to assert their dominance with a four-goal winning margin.

The Steelmen took the lead when Layton Watts’ strike deflected by Joel Dixon before Askey saw four of his strikers get their name on the scoresheet in Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, Josh Umerah, Joe Grey and Chris Wreh.

Wreh capped the evening with a fifth from the penalty spot late on as Askey’s side remained unbeaten in pre-season.

And here are some of the key takeaways from the victory at Green Lane.

Umerah and Dieseruvwe show early promise

Dieseruvwe’s arrival at the Suit Direct Stadium felt as though it could be a replacement for Umerah, with the 15-goal striker from last season attracting interest over the summer.

But with Umerah now possibly set to remain with the club, a front two of Dieseruvwe and Umerah suddenly looks a tantalising prospect for Hartlepool this season.

And we got to see a first glimpse of the duo partnered together at Green Lane, with both registering a goal to their name.

Despite Umerah still being somewhat behind his team-mates when it comes to his match sharpness, having struggled with a knee injury in pre-season, there were early signs of the two linking up well together.

The clearest evidence came when Umerah assisted Dieseruvwe for Hartlepool’s equalising goal.

Umerah was able to roll his marker before sending a teasing low ball across the face of goal where his striker partner was waiting to slide home before Dieseruvwe almost returned the favour minutes later only for Umerah to head just wide.

But the pair would interchange well in their 45 minutes together, regularly swapping positions to keep defenders guessing whilst gaining a greater understanding of one another.

Dieseruvwe, in particular, showed some tidy hold up play when cushioning the ball on his chest before two crowd-pleasing flicks over an on-rushing defender to create clear space.

Although there is context in that it is only pre-season and this was against a lower league team, it was a positive first display from the duo and one to build on over the next week heading into the new season.

Forwards on form

Much like Umerah and Dieseruvwe linking up well, the fact four of Askey's forwards found the back of the net can only be seen as a positive, too.

Again, context is needed, coupled with a collective trepidation over pre-season form after last summer and what transpired afterwards, but it can never be a bad thing for a goalscorer to score.

Dieseruvwe now has two for pre-season, along with Wreh, whilst Umerah capped his first start with the pick of the bunch when sweeping in a low cross from the right.

But it was also pleasing to see Grey notch – a player whom the club are hoping can have a positive impact this season.

Permanent Mancini

After penning a permanent deal with Hartlepool, midfielder Anthony Mancini marked the occasion with a fine 45 minutes with an assist to his name, as well as having one chalked off after Dieseruvwe was flagged offside.

Operating on the right of a central midfield three, Mancini enjoyed plenty of joy in the attacking third and proved a constant threat to the Redcar defence.

Close control, a turn of pace and some fancy skill were all part of the performance, including one excellent first time Cruyff turn to control a long pass away from a defender.

“I thought he did really well again,” said Askey.

“He caused the opposition problems. We know the level that we were playing against but he couldn’t have done much more than he did.”

Mancini impressed in the win over Middlesbrough before featuring in the opening 45 minutes against Blyth Spartans, with Askey having seen enough from the Frenchman to hand him a permanent deal.

Midfield options

With Mancini’s permanent arrival, Askey will have options at his disposal in central midfield.

Whether Askey is to favour a midfield two or a midfield three, there is competition for places with Callum Cooke, Oliver Finney, Tom Crawford, Keiran Wallace and now Mancini.

Wallace’s injury could mean Askey will look to the market for another midfield option but with Cooke, perhaps, the most likely to start for Pools at Barnet, Hartlepool’s final two pre-season games could go some way to impacting Askey’s decision on the remaining spaces up for grabs.

“I’ve got a good idea of the majority of the team but there’s still time and it's up to other people to produce something on the pitch,” Askey said of his potential opening day line-up.

“It’s important that everybody keeps going because we need a good squad.

“Some people will be disappointed if they don’t play against Barnet, but over the season they’ll play their part and once they get a shirt then it’s up to them to keep it.”

Redcar record

Much like when the likes of Middlesbrough and Sunderland visit the Suit Direct Stadium, it was a significant evening for Redcar in welcoming Hartlepool in terms of a healthy crowd providing a financial boost.

The Steelmen enjoyed a record breaking attendance at Green Lane totalling 1,781, with the Northern League club certainly showing signs of progression with their infrastructure and facilities.

The players, too, rose to the occasion and, despite one or two challenges which were a little close to the line for a pre-season fixture, made a competitive game of things, particularly in the first half.

“Clubs like this, it’s what football is all about,” said Askey.

“There’ll be a lot of people who do a lot of good work for nothing at clubs like this.

“The surface has been great, conditions have been good and we hope they do well this season.”