Maguire playing catch-up at Hartlepool United

The club’s newly-appointed chief executive is in place at Victoria Park, running the operation on a day to day basis.

Working under the new regime, headed up by owner and chairman Raj Singh, Maguire admits there’s a lot of effort and graft to be done to turn the club around following two seasons of financial woe.

He spoke about bringing “honesty and integrity” to the club this week.

Maguire is satisfied with the early uptake on the club’s early bird season ticket prices and has announced that the club shop will be moving to a new spot at the front of the club’s offices in Clarence Road.

He admitted: "The work I'm doing now should have started three or four months ago.

"Priority number one was to get the season ticket campaign under way, which we've done and the response so far has been fantastic.

"Priority number two was the commercial strategy and getting back in contact with all prospective commercial partners.

"And then it's about supporting the football side of the business, Craig (Hignett) and Mathew (Bates) are beavering away to recruit players.

"We need to get everyone in an understanding of what we can do and how we're going to do it and to provide the platform for the football side to perform come the new season.’’

He added: "I like the fact there is an open dialogue between everyone every single day, challenging each other with the thoughts and ideas they have.

"We are supported by an owner who is prepared to employ professional people around him to take the club in the right direction.

"Perhaps that's the thing that's been missing."

Pools are planning for a second campaign in the National League, with Bates in charge after a spell as caretaker.

He has already signed defender Myles Anderson and is closing in on Andrew Davies and Neal Bishop.

Maguire added: "It's a cliche which is rolled out a lot but that is where this club belongs.

"The size of Hartlepool United has been demonstrated by the fans and its history demonstrates it should at the least be in League Two, League One and beyond that let's have some ambition.

"The job has to be to return it to its rightful place but, most importantly, to look after the club properly behind the scenes.

"We need to make sure everything is done in the right way which, ultimately, will provide the platform to get us back into the Football League.’’