Hartlepool United players Luke Molyneux and Fraser Kerr assess new summer signings

Ben Killip and Gime Toure joined Pools from Braintree Town and Sutton United respectively while Nicke Kabamba, Michael Raynes and Luke Molyneux made loan spells from last season permanent. 

A real coup for manager Craig Hignett was retaining the services of top target Molyneux, who was released from Sunderland at the end of the 2018-19 season. And the 21-year-old winger admitted Hartlepool’s transfer business is something that impressed him on his return. 

“From who we’ve brought in so far I think it’s looking good and we’ve got a big squad,” Molyneux said. 

“There’s going to be a lot of competition which is always good. When you’re focusing on getting promotion you need that competition because there are always going to be times when you need rotation in the squad.

“When you have good enough players that can come in and out the squad, I think that will help and make the squad stronger.”

Molyneux spent the first half of last season on loan at a troubled Gateshead side who remarkably competed for the play-offs for the duration of the season.

“With Gateshead last year we pretty much had a starting 11 and that was it really,” he revealed. 

“Here we’re a stable club and most weeks there’ll be players who won’t even be in the squad at all so we’ve got plenty of players to come in and out. If you look at the squad we’ve got then you would think we are going to battle for promotion.”

Another former Heed player Fraser Kerr is also buoyed by Pools’ business. 

“We’ve made some very encouraging signings,” said the Scottish defender. 

“A lot of old faces from last year who have re-signed which is brilliant and the few new additions we’ve got hopefully add to the squad.

“We’ve got a good group of boys here and everybody is pulling in the same direction so I think we can go and achieve something. I think play-offs is the minimum we’ll expect.