Paul Hartley outlines Hartlepool United's pre-season intentions as squad head for Portugal training camp and Hibernian fixture

Pools touched down in the Algarve on Monday but any suggestions of an extended summer break can be squashed with manager Paul Hartley revealing players will undergo triple sessions throughout the week as they step up their preparations ahead of the new 2022/23 campaign and that opening day date with Walsall at the end of July.

Pools will face one of Hartley’s former side’s, Hibernian, while based at their Moncarapacho facility, and at one stage it looked as though they would struggle to field a full-team owning to the lack of numbers within the squad.

But a flurry of transfer activity last week has already seen Hartley now bring in five new players, as the seats on the plane to Southern Portugal began to fill up.

And hard work will be the name of the game for Hartley as he looks to further implement his ideas on Pools after an encouraging first week back in training.

“It’s been a really good working week,” Hartley told the club website.

“The players have come back in a really good condition and even though we’ve not got big numbers, I’ve been really pleased in terms of the work ethic from the players.

“The first day we met them, we did a presentation on the season ahead and what the standards are going to be, the demands, the discipline, the expectation levels and how we’re going to play.

“Then day one was a testing day. Day two was more of a football introduction and how we want to play with the speed and combination play. They were really intense sessions in terms of on the ball.

“We did a lot of running with Keith as well, but they’ve been really good so far. They’ve shown really good quality.”

And Hartley is hoping that quality can extend in Portugal as he also looks to integrate himself further into the Pools culture and what he is trying to establish at the club.

“It’s brilliant. The facilities are first class,” Hartley told The Mail.

“Myself and Stephen [Hobin] visited and it’s a great facility, a great environment and gets us away from everything.

“It's a great time to work with the players. It just gets us working on the training pitch straight away with that hard work and how we want to play and our style of play.

“We have to be flexible with how we change systems this year, so it’s a great trip away for us ahead of that July 30 kick-off.

“It’ll be really warm. Training times will be different,” Hartley added.

“We’ll do triple sessions and we’ve also got the game in between against Hibs which will be really good to get some minutes into the players.

“I think it’s about staying injury free and getting our points across tactically. But hard work, rest and recovery and then work.

“But out of the way [of training] it’s just about getting to know people better. With new signings coming in, I think it’s really helpful for them to get to know the lads better.”

Of those new signings; goalkeeper Kyle Letheren, defenders Euan Murray and Alex Lacey, midfielder Mouhamed Niang and winger Jake Hastie, it is the former Rangers man who has set pulses raising the most following the completion of his move from Ibrox late on Friday evening.

After the departure of player of the year Luke Molyneux, who swapped the Suit Direct Stadium for the Eco-Power Stadium and Doncaster Rovers after turning down the opportunity to remain with Pools, supporters needed a boost, and that arrived with Hastie.

But much like Hartley has suggested, assistant coach Gordon Young believes the week in Portugal will be crucial for players, such as Hastie, and staff to get to know one another and settle in.

“Spending that extra time with them and the fact you're not going home, or they’re not going home, means you can grab a 10 minutes with somebody,” said Young.

“I want to find out about people’s families. I want to find out about people’s lifestyles. If I can have an impact on both of those things I feel like I’ve achieved something."

Pools boss Hartley reiterated: “That’s the whole purpose of it.

“It’s to get to know the players, what makes them tick? What is their personality like? What can they do better? What do they do well? How can we help them?

“We’ve spoken about last season [to the players] and how their game was, but over the next few days, weeks and months it’s just about getting to know them and what really makes them tick as a player and as a person.”

Pools return from the Algarve on Friday ahead of what then becomes a busy pre-season schedule including six friendlies, starting with a trip to Scottish Premiership side St Mirren on Tuesday, July 5.

Pools then return to the North East where they will face a non-league double header against Billingham Synthonia and Marske United before preparations once again step up with the level of opponent improving.

League One Lincoln City will be followed by Championship sides Blackburn Rovers and Sunderland as a trio of fixtures at the Suit Direct Stadium round off the pre-season schedule ahead of the trip to Walsall on July 30.