RAJ SINGH has held fresh talks with Hartlepool United’s chief benefactor John Blackledge this morning and a deal to save the cash-strapped club is back ON.

Craig Hignett, set to be installed as the club’s director of football when the deal goes through, has confirmed to The Northern Echo that they now “expect a deal to go through in the next few days.”

There were major fears last night that Singh’s attempts to buy Hartlepool had come to an end after hitting a major stumbling block.

But a fresh round of discussions this morning between the former Darlington chairman and Blackledge, whose Sage Investments owns Pools, now look to have saved the day.

“We are all working working hard behind the scenes to get the deal done,” said Hignett.

“Negotiations hit a snag last night but Raj and John have chatted again this morning and we now expect a deal to be concluded within days.”

It is known that Singh and Blackledge were close to reaching agreement prior to yesterday’s stumbling block – of which the details remain unclear and private.

Singh and his consortium, which includes Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling, have been trying to get a deal done before tomorrow because of the transfer deadline for the National League. Pools have a transfer embargo hanging over them and need to have it lifted when the financial situation is secure.

Caretaker manager Matthew Bates has overseen a couple of draws in recent games which has highlighted the players are fighting for him and to keep the club up.

A defeat at Barrow tonight would see Hartlepool drop into the National League’s relegation zone after Solihull Moors wiped out the three point gap last night by defeating Bromley. The teams have the same goal difference.

Hignett, a long term friend of Singh’s, will head up the club’s football operations provided there are no more late hiccups to the deal.

Hartlepool chairwoman Pam Duxbury is currently working on how to pay the wages of staff and non-playing staff, which are due to go out on the 25th.

After managing to lift the spirits within the camp at Victoria Park, Bates will be given the chance to stake a claim for the job himself by keeping Hartlepool out of National League North.

Hartlepool head for a vital match at Barrow knowing that their opponents sit just one place above them and level on points; the same number of points as Solihull Moors below them.