HARTLEPOOL UNITED are considering offering Ched Evans a chance to resurrect his football career.

The former Sheffield United striker, 25, has recently been released from jail, after being sentenced to five years after a jury unanimously agreed he raped a drunk woman in a hotel in Rhyl, north Wales.

He was released after serving half his sentence and his former club recently refused to take him back on trial after a major public outcry.

Pools are bottom of the Football League and drew 1-1 with Oxford this afternoon.

Rumours of Evans, who scored 35 goals in 42 games for the Blades before the court case, joining Pools surfaced during the game and boss Ronnie Moore admitted: "If it could happen for me, I would want it to happen.

"There is no doubt about that. He is a proven goalscorer.

"He has served his time for me and the boy wants to play football.

"If there is a chance that he might come here, I don't see any reason why he shouldn't.

"I know what will happen now, everybody will be groaning and you see what happened at Sheffield United.’’

And experienced manager Moore, appointed last week, added: "You keep pushing the lad away. He made a mistake and maybe he hasn't made the apology in the right way and there is a case pending on the appeal.

"On the football matters, if he gets on the park he will go a long way to getting us out of trouble, that's for sure.

"It is a possibility, I would leave it at that for now."

The town's MP and long-standing Pools fan Iain Wright is against the prospect of Evans signing. 

He said: "I really hope we don't. I love my club, I love Hartlepool United. There's a reason why no other team in the Football League wants to sign him - he is a pariah.

'I was at the match today. There were lots of young lads there supporting Hartlepool United. I just think it sends out such a wrong message to young men in terms of it being OK for a rapist to play football. It's entirely wrong.''