Simon Grayson reveals Hartlepool United have option to recall young striker after impressing on loan
Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson has revealed that young striker Josh Donaldson has a recall clause in his contract after impressing on loan at Dunston UTS.
The teenager, who left Newcastle at the end of last season, signed for Pools in July after catching the eye on trial. Having put pen to paper on a one-year deal at Victoria Park, the frontman was then sent immediately out on a season-long loan, linking up with Northern Premier League Division One East side Dunston. Donaldson has enjoyed an impressive start to life at Wellington Road and has scored four times, including a hat-trick in Saturday's FA Trophy clash against Brighouse Town.
Pools have themselves made a strong start to the new National League season and sit sixth after winning three, drawing four and losing just one of their opening eight games. That initial success has been built on a rock solid defence which has kept an impressive five clean sheets in the first eight games, including four in a row at the beginning of the campaign. At the other end, however, Pools have been somewhat less effective. That's not to say there haven't been some good signs and the likes of Alex Reid, who is the club's leading scorer with three goals, and Jermaine Francis, who missed Saturday's defeat at league leaders Forest Green Rovers, have both made a bright start to their Pools careers. Even so, Pools have managed just nine goals so far this term, making them the second lowest scorers in the top half of the division; only Tamworth, who have played a game less, have bagged fewer. Danny Johnson, who sealed a summer move to Victoria Park after leaving Walsall, is yet to open his account and lost his place in the side last week.
It's no great surprise that Pools are still taking some time to find the perfect formula in attack following the departures of talismanic frontman Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 goals in 89 appearances during a hugely successful spell at Victoria Park, and the indefatigable Joe Grey. With Dieseruvwe having made a lightning fast start to his Rochdale career, scoring seven times in his first seven Dale games, after failing to agree a new contract at Victoria Park over the summer, Pools are under even more pressure to replace the striker's goals and influence. With Pools yet to catch fire in an attacking sense this term, there have been calls among some fans to consider recalling Donaldson, particularly after his impressive hat-trick at the weekend.
"He's done well, hasn't he?" Grayson told The Red Radio.
"To get a hat-trick is brilliant. We've got a recall on him after 28 days, I'm not sure how many days he is into his loan now. It can only bode well for the future, we think a lot of Josh and that's why we sent him out. The National League is a different level of football, obviously, to where he's playing at the moment, but we brought him in to score goals and I'm glad he's done that."