RONNIE Moore has suffered a few frustrations in trying to add to his Hartlepool United squad this week – but has the perfect example of what can be achieved with loan players.

Following Tuesday’s woeful 3-0 home defeat to Bristol Rovers, Moore has made a gallon of phone calls and approaches for a couple of new signings, with no joy yet.

Attracting players, he accepts, has always been a problem for Pools – geographically unappealing to many clubs and players.

Yet last season, midfielder Aaron Tshibola moved from Reading at a time Pools were at their lowest ebb – ten points from safety at the bottom of the table.

Tshibola hadn’t played League Two football before his move. Half a season later he went back to Reading with plenty of valuable experience – and now he’s a first-team regular and recently signed a new four-year contract.

“It’s hard to sign players here, it’s always been the case and a lot of teams don’t like sending their players so far north and we don’t often get southern lads here,’’ reflected Moore.

“We had Tish last year from Reading and if anyone doubts the merits of sending their players here then go and speak to their manager, their Under-21 coaches and find out.

“They come here and learn their trade. We made Tish a better player – he went back there with knowledge of league football. We know what we are doing here, we have many years experience in football.

“We will improve players from any club if they come here.’’

Michael Woods will return from suspension tomorrow and Rakish Bingham is likely to be involved after hamstring problems kept him out of the last two games.

“The squad is better than last season’s, but one or two of them at the moment are not performing to their capabilities,’’ he admitted.

“One or two haven’t shown their true colours, but how long do you wait? I’ve tried again all day to get players in, made phone calls everywhere.

“We are after a winger with pace who can give us something going forward and a midfielder with box to box energy – do that and play to our potential and we have a good squad of players.

“We knew we were short in wide areas, we have Kudos and Connor who are learning and we tried for experience in there.

“But with young lads here, then is it pointless to go to Man United, Everton, Liverpool to get a young kid in to learn the game for them? Sometimes you have to decide and I feel we need pace to turn from 4-3-3 to 4-4-2.’’

Pools won at Yeovil last weekend, but gave their worst display of 2015 in midweek as they were overran by Bristol Rovers.

Tomorrow’s opponent are tipped for the title by many – Moore included – and he said: “I think with this group of players we should not be anywhere near the bottom places. It’s down to the players who I pick – not one of them can moan if they are left out on Saturday. It’s an open door to do what I want.

“It will be changed and we go and do it.

“We want additions. Defensively we need Jake Carroll to come to the party, he’s been disappointing for me. Dan Jones can play left-back too, but we need pressure all over the park. In an ideal world we get 11 in, but that ain’t going to happen!

“We have to work on getting loan players in, but it is difficult.

“There’s injuries in the squad and it doesn’t help, but that’s no excuse as we have enough good players to get results.’’