NICKY Featherstone will keep hold of the captain's armband for this season, manager Dave Challinor has confirmed. 

The Pools midfielder has been pivotal to Pools success in the last season and is currently the club's longest serving player as he enters his eigth season with the club. 

Featherstone wore the captain's armband for a big chunk of last season while club captain Ryan Donaldson struggling to nail down a place in the starting eleven. 

Now with Donaldson's departure to Morpeth Town confirmed, Featherstone is seen as the natural choice to take on the captain's responsibility. 

"I don't think it needs any thought. Feath will be the captain." Challinor said after the midweek pre-season defeat to Spennymoor Town. 

"I've not spoken to him about it by the way so it might be news to him!

"He is obviously pivotal to what we do. You seen there when he came on the pitch with half an hour to go, it gives us more of a foothold in terms of how we play and him playing forward and making opportunities and demanding of people.

"Took the role on really well last year and hopefully he won't be throwing the armband to somebody else along the way."

Featherstone has made 264 league appearances in a Pools shirt scoring 14 goals since joining from Hull City in 2014.