THE National League is viewed by many as the fifth division; and it’s an opinion Richard Money endorses.

Appointed Hartlepool United boss last week, Money takes charge of his first league game on Saturday when Havant and Waterlooville visit the Super 6 Stadium.

The opposition are part-time, but they are no longer in the norm in the division.

While Pools are regarded as one of the divison’s bigger clubs, there’s plenty of clubs who have bankrolled their way out of the division.

And Money is happy to see the likes of Fleewood, Forest Green, Salford and Fylde competing at the top of the division with big budgets.

“I think it’s great. It’s what English football is about, living the dream,’’ he reflected. “I don’t have a problem, with that though it makes it tough for clubs like us.

“The years I was at Luton there were some big clubs there, perhaps not as big as Luton, but still big clubs.

“I thought maybe the level had dropped for a couple of years but you look at it this season and it’s strong again.’’

Pools are in their second season out of the Football League and, after getting Cambridge back there and Luton back on track after relegation, Money knows what it takes.

He said: “Luton, for sure they were coming to terms with where they were, but at Cambridge, they had been in the division for nine years, so a number of people who had taken them out of the league were no longer on the scene.

“Cambridge were smaller in terms of structure, staff behind the scenes, Luton was a big club, is still a big club.

“I left a highly-paid position at Newcastle to earn less money at Luton because I genuinely thought they could be taken back to the championship. Luton’s 2020 vision is exactly that, to be back in the Championship by 2020 and there is every chance they might be.

“Getting them over that first hurdle (back into the EDL) was always going to be the toughest.”

He added: “Football is played on the grass, we aren’t in Barcelona’s league, we aren’t playing Barcelona. I’ve an understanding of what it takes to get out of the league.

“But I am a football guy and you don’t get a job as Academy manager at Newcastle, Atlanta or Norwich without a philosophy.

“But you have to be pragmatic – pitches will get worse and we have to play winning football, while making it entertaining for supporters too. We have to find that mix as soon as we can.’’