⬅️ Waterfall, Dodds, Sloggett, Mancini
➡️ Onariase, Stephenson, Featherstone, Grey

More changes.

⬅️ Dixon, Ferguson, Sheron, Campbell, Dieseruvwe
➡️ Burton Storey, Trialist x3

Any one know who the trialists were guess the keeper was Adam Smith if so 6ft 4in and saved a penalty. Also the central defender who scored in the first half.

Billy sass-davies was the centre half, he played very well. I'd sign him and Adam Smith, both looked good today and both have played for our manager before.

I would sign Billy Sass-Davies and Adam Smith, I think those are the only 2 I would offer contracts to. We need another striker, Bailey Adamson has proved that when the opposition has a little bit more quality he isn't up to the task. If we offer him.a contract I will start to worry for the start of the season. Hopefully the last 2 performances will show Sarll we need to look elsewhere.

If Adamson was the lad who replaced Mani D he was woeful. I thought the trialist on the right wing was decent - good in the air and with the ball at his feet. He could have done better with the 3 crosses he put in, but I'd say he's worth another look.

B S-D I'd definitely keep - he's worth it for the extra height alone plus he's more mobile than Waterfall and Parkes. The keeper didn't have a right lot to do apart from the penalty.

Think the winger was Dylan Mottley Henry, ex south shields funnily enough. On that showing I wouldn't give Adamson a deal, he was awful. Davies on the other hand looked quality, not the quickest but a big unit.

Billy Sass-Davies CB 1.95m, 24yrs old. Welsh U21s, 72 games Nat Lge, 22 games Lge1 etc

Domt we already have 2 centre backs who are not the quickest but big units?

Remember playing Sutton, Land of the giants.

that Henry fella is NLN standard all day long - cannot believe we are taking on lads for a look when Shields didnt want him.

Yeh that Adamson isnt ready yet - maybe if we had a reserve team then yeh - build him up.

we need lads who can sit on that bench and come straight into the side if needed. 18 year old kids unless they are unbelievable are not good for us at this level - nor do we have the time to wait on them maturing into mens football.

If they're old enough they're good enough. Plus they'll probably play without fear.
We've had some cracking players around the 18 year old and even younger groups at the club. Graeme Lee, Boyd, Sweeney, James to name a few.

and those players where all ready for mens football at a younger age - also played at Pools at a higher level. Lots of factors against those players compared to this lad. Plus we had time and money on our side back then. Now we dont have the luxury

Nowt wrong with having young kids in the team, but likes been mentioned we are not in a position to wait for them to become good, we need a squad capable of winning the league from the start.

The problems finding one!

Meh. I'll say it again - Dave Challinor's squad was decent but nowhere near good enough for promotion at the beginning of the 20/21 season, as Torquay proved when they beat us 5-0 at the Vic. Pools had a very ropey 6 weeks after that defeat and dropped right down to mid-table. They didn't get going again till mid-December - after Armstrong and Sterry had been signed.

You know this as well as I do, but for some reason you want to set an absolute gold standard for the quality Pools will need from day one to be contenders this time around. It wasn't a very strong league when Chally got us up and it doesn't look like it will be this season either.

I agree with 90% of your post Mr Hogans. But looking at the squads so far for next season I see Rochdale / Southend / Barnet / Solihull / Oldham & York are all strong squads and will be challenging. Altrincham / Gateshead & Aldershot will also be involved. Flyde & D&R could be dark horses so together with Pools that's half the division. So based on that I would say this season will probably be a tougher league to get promoted from than our promotion season.

All promotions are different with the same outcome.
Ya go up a division.
I hope some are still moaning about promotion come game 46.
Only on here.
Meh.
Eh.

Some have been saying for weeks its a relatively easy league this time around.
I,ve been calling it a competitive league this time around .
Time will tell.

Think it will definately be competitive, not sure it will be easy but we wont get many better chances to get out of it.

I think it will be just as competitive as last season baring one team running away with it - i think the teams who have came up have alot more about them than the ones last season (half of which have gone now anyways). Ill put money on a Yeovil or Boston being the best out of the promoted bunch and Braintee not too far behind in that sense too. Oldham and Rochdale stronger too. York will want to hit the ground running and will have a better season and so will Dag&Red too. Be wide open this year and i dont think Barnet not Solihull will be top and run away with it. Bit of consistency is lying around the top 5 though with the likes of Barnet and Solihull been ever present. Think one of the Manchester teams will get promoted this year via playoffs too.

It now or never.
Let the other 23 teams worry about us.
We the mighty HUFC.
Blue Whale in a goldfish bowl sort ov!!

That's the point - no chairman in the NL has enough dosh to buy promotion, the way Salford, Stockport, Wrexham Notts County and Chesterfield all did. Of course there'll be strong teams this season but it's more of a level playing field in terms of money.

The planets aligned massively for us that season. I don't think it'll happen again very soon and I don't think it is evidence supporting the theory that starting a season with an incomplete squad isn't something to worry about. However, I approve of your use of the word 'meh'. Less grey hairs that way.

Gold standard what having a team ready for the start of the season. We might as well wait till December then, make the play offs and beat 3 teams on the way just for the crack, doing it once was hard enough, doing it twice, bloody good luck with that one.

As of now Sarll's squad is a work in progress - bet he thinks so too. Hopefully there'll be a couple more signings in the next week or so.

That said, it's already a better group of players than we started last season with - and that looked like it was going to storm the division for about 5 games. More strength in depth is the only way to keep a run like that going.

hope work in progress does not mean lets finish as high as we can and use it as a stepping stone to 2025/6 season. last season was the season of consolidation and nothing but the play offs are going to satisfy fans next season. their is patiance and taking the piss.

Work in progress as in I think there'll be a couple more signings before 10th August. Pools need a keeper, a centre-back as cover for Waterfall and Parkes (Billy Sass-Davies would do for me) and a stand in for Mani D - all areas of the pitch that Sarll has been looking to address.

i,d prefer signings to be ones who,ll be pushing for a first team place rather than just back ups who,ll only ever play in emergencies. thats been the problem for years as players were guarenteed a place due to be no one better to fill it so we might have missed something out of them without real competition.