RYAN Donaldson, Hartlepool United’s club captain, won’t be leading the team out against Sutton tomorrow.

The midfielder has not played in pre-season after feeling tightness in a calf in the early stages of returning to training.

Tomorrow’s game will come too soon, so Craig Hignett must decide on who will lead the team out in his absence. Michael Raynes is likely to be captain.

The manager will also be without Luke Molyneux (foot) and Josh Hawkes (hamstring).

“I’ve got 16/17 who can all step in and play and I want competition, no players who can coast. They have to perform well to stay in the team,’’ he said.

“Ryan isn’t any closer, Luke is progressing well and Josh is a few weeks away. Apart from that, we are OK. The squad is in a good place.’’

Hignett has made eight new signings as he reshaped his squad for a challenging National League campaign ahead.

He said: “We’ve worked really hard all summer. Pre-season has gone perfect for us, really pleased how it’s gone.

“The pressure is always there, we want to get the club out of this league so the pressure is there. We’ve good, strong group of players and I am optimistic without getting carried away.

“At the start of the season everyone wants promotion – we are no different. We know the league and it’s not about money and spending loads of it, it’s about recruitment and the right players.

“We are close to being complete with our business.’’

Pools have floundered in recent years, with financial problems causing a backdrop of troubles.

But those issues have been cleared and Pools are on a stable footing.

Hignett added: “It’s a clean slate, I have the strongest group of players I can have and the club is in as good a shape it is for a long time. We have had a lot of work to do with the squad and behind the scenes, with some hard choices and it’s all for the good of the club.

“The aim is to get the club up.

“We have it all in place to push on – a lot of changes have been made, players leaving and new signings in. The last few seasons have been tough and I want it to be a fresh start and these players haven’t been involved in the problems.’’