WHILE Dave Challinor was fuming with some his players after their friendly defeat to Spennymoor Town, he admitted deals have been agreed for some of the featured trialists.

Pools lost by a goal to nil to Moors at the Brewery Field after Frank Mulhern's ninth minute header gave Tommy Miller's side the victory. 

Challinor was less than pleased with the performance of his players having used a blend of trialists and first-team players for their second pre-season friendly. 

However, he did admit that some of the trialists involved have already secured their futures with Pools. Challinor's side are desperately short of options in the attacking areas and he says that is a main area of focus. 

“It’s not changed things. I don’t think anyone that has been on trial as such or that we’ve had positive conversations with all of them has gone ‘wow you’ve got to sign him’.

“No one, based on that performance, has done well enough to earn a deal that hasn’t already got a deal.

“There are some things in place that we can’t announce yet. That’s not everyone.

“We’ve named quite a lot of trialists but the reality of it is that more than a couple of them aren’t trialists. We have things in place.

“We’re still in the same situation. It’s obvious we need strength and we need options in forward areas which we’re having to be patient on because we are going to have to use the loan market in terms of bringing players in there.

“What you might consider our strongest team, even based from last year, the back end of the pitch and the middle of the pitch is not bad. We definitely need to improve which we will but it’s the final third where we need to get people in who are going to score goals for us and be a threat and a menace up at the top end of the pitch.”

Former Port Vale and Blackpool striker Mark Cullen has been on trial with the club since being released in the summer but the 29-year-old limped off after five minutes due to a hamstring injury. It's not been disclosed whether he has earned himself a contract at Pools.

While deals may be in place for some of the players Pools have put to the test over the last two pre-season games, severance packages from the EFL are preventing them from revealing or announcing which players they are. 

“Those things, there’s a couple potentially like on Mols’ (Luke Molyneux) was agreed and was announced, there are another couple that are agreed and will be announced Alex (Chandy) decides to announce or somebody else gives him the nod to announce them.

"There are another couple like that as well."

Meanwhile, Luke Molyneux commited his future to the club by signing a new contract.