The Poolie Bunker

The lad scored all 4 goals for Hebburn Town in their 4-2 win over Crook Town in the Durham Challenge Cup last night.

I think he still trains every week with Pools as part of his loan deal at Hebburn. The loan has been good for his development, but isn't it about time he was recalled and given his chance at the Vic as part of the First Team Squad?

Maybe Terry Bondo could go on loan to Hebburn and get the chance to rediscover his goal touch? Don't laugh too much - the kid is still only 19 and he scored goals for Matlock and King's Lynn when Blackpool sent him out on loan.

Bondo is basically a kid still and I think it a bit unfair to be slagging off any young uns and knocking any confidence they may have given the atmosphere in which they have to perform on the pitch….no one really stands out at present which is what I find disturbing.

donaldson gets sent to a club a league below us. a one that even johnson can score a hat trick in. we sign a younger player bondo who is deemed to be ready for football at our first team level. have always thought its harder for our kids to break into the first team against the ones we sign from somebody else. thing is they are not exactly all reyas cleary,s.

We don’t know how he has been doing at Hebburn. They are doing well and so hopefully he is too. But if he isn’t doing well in that league then there isn’t much point bringing him back yet.

I dont think him or foreman are starting many games at Hebburn! More like impact subs

'Hartlepool United youngster Josh Donaldson scored four goals in Hebburn Town’s 4-2 win against Crook Town on Tuesday night.
Hebburn Town manager Daniel Moore has revealed he has already held conversations with new Hartlepool United head coach Pete Wild over the future of youngsters Kian Foreman and Josh Donaldson.

The Pools duo joined the National League North newcomers on loan during the summer and have both impressed during their time at the Trustmark Group Stadium. Donaldson racked up a notable achievement on Tuesday night when he scored his first senior hat-trick and went one better by hitting a fourth goal in the Hornets’ 4-2 win in a Durham Challenge Cup tie against Crook Town.'

Donaldson will hope his four-goal show will have done enough to earn him a place in the Hebburn line-up for this weekend’s home game against Oxford City as they return to league action after a two-week break. Moore believes there is more to come from the youngster and insisted he will get a chance to shine over the coming weeks.

“Josh will be disappointed he didn’t score more because in the first-half, it could have been seven or eight. We played really well. We know his finishing is brilliant, we just need to get him in those areas. We will need him over the coming weeks, we have some big games coming up and we know he knows where the net is. It’s all about developing the other side of the game that is the reason he is with us.”

The above extract tells us all we need to know. With all due respect Mr Moore we need our players to help pull us out of the National League shit otherwise we could quite easily be facing up to Hebburn in the NLN next season. If it doesn't work out the pair could readily be sent ot on loan in the new year.

Spot on. Donaldson scored 3 in the NLN early in the season but more recently lost his place because Moore likes to play one up front and another lad (Jake Charles) is also in good form.

If Hebburn have 2 regular scorers to pick from they're doing better than Pools! OK, it's at a level below, but are the play-off places in the NLN (where Hebburn are) really that much different from the bottom places in the NL (where we currently are)?

Recent cup performances against opposition from leagues below us have shown that we are certainly not superior to such opposition.
It has always puzzled me that we are always eager to pick other clubs youngsters but seem frightened to blood our own.
I think it is worth giving Donaldson a run out. He has the geographical location of the onion bag off to a fine art or so it would seem.
Give him a crack at it.

He might get a run out, but if it goes wrong the fans are never kind….leave him where he is and bring the lad back if things turn for the better and let him swim in the deep end when the sharks have gone.

I would like to think that the fans would go easy on any of our own young players both at the Vic and here on The Bunker. Also, Josh Donaldson would gain valuable experience playing for his own club at the wrong end of the NL, in a proper stadium and a decent crowd. Going on the assumption that Pete Wild can't or won't introduce loan players in his quest to get Pools out of the relegation zone ASAP.

I would go so far to say that in the absence of incoming reinforcements I would be disappointed in Pete Wild if he did not take this opportunity to bring Josh back. And before anyone says 'who will make way for Josh? ' Well, with the possible exception of Harris, none of the strikers are exactly scoring goals for fun or putting their bodies on the line to get the ball into the old onion bag. My choice would be Nolan who is clearly lacking in confidence and would probably benefit from a spell out of the first team. I appreciate that not everyone will share my opinion but that's what Bunker debate is about. Does anyone have any better ideas?

I'd be looking at Hebburn Towns midfield. If a loan player from Pools (who is rated below Terry Bondo by Pools) can score four goals at a level not that different to what we're at in our league right now, then they must be serving them up on a plate.

As opposed to our midfield.

I’d like to think it would apply to any young player regardless of their origin.

When he first arrived at the club Josh frequently found the net in the pre season friendlies. I was suprised they couldnt wait to send him on loan. I agree with others, he should be given a chance with the first team, he just might surprise a few people.

I can understand him being sent out on loan given we'd signed Hughill, Nolan, and Harris as they would all be starting in front of him, but what I can't understand is why he hasn't been brought back and given a chance from the bench considering how much game time Bondo has been getting.
And, if Josh is mainly on the bench for Hebburn then he might just as well be on our bench.

I thought at the beginning of the season he's definitely worth a shot on the bench, i was surprised he went back out on loan. Goalscorers are always worth a chance.

he is not the first player this has happened to where our own lads are ignored for players the same age loaned in from clubs higher up than us. just because you are a kid at the mags does not mean you are better than ours. if they were really good they,d not be coming to pools but a team somewhere in the efl depending on there ability. only the odd ones like cleary and the keepers manage to buck that trend.

Cleary was definitely a one off. He was at the Scunthorpe game and obviously has an affection for our club, unlike many loanees who think they're way too good for us and barely put any effort in.

yes, cleary is a well thought of league 1 player. wonder what those loanees who put little effort in with us are doing now. part timers at best combined with stacking shelves if they are lucky.