Hartlepool United make tying Jamie Sterry down 'a top priority' with former Newcastle United defender free to leave this month

The former Newcastle United defender has impressed since arriving at Victoria Park with Pools winning all three National League matches since his debut.

Sterry was brought to Pools on a short-term basis and remains dual-registered with South Shields, meaning he would be free to join another club this month with the Football League transfer window now open.

Keen to keep the right-back, Hartlepool manager Dave Challinor has made tying Sterry down for the remainder of the season his ‘top priority’.

"We’ve got decisions in January around the players we’ve got on short term deals which is my top priority at the moment,” he told The Mail.

“We have to keep an eye on it and Jamie is one who were are speaking to about staying with us until the end of the season and hopefully that will be the case.

"He’s enjoyed his short time with us, we’re winning games, he’s at home and for him, he’s settled in the team and if he can get himself around 30 games by the end of the season then it will benefit him massively.

"We have aspirations and ambitions ourselves to be in the Football League and we hope he wants to be part of something successful and we can all benefit from that.

"We’re obviously wary at this time of the season especially, if there are players doing well then they’ll get interest so that’s part and parcel of it.

"We’re going to have to be pretty fluid and reactive in January but hopefully we can keep our group together because we’re on a decent run and looking to kick on.”

Explaining the nature of Sterry’s current agreement with Pools, Challinor added: “He was brought in on a quick deal in order to get him to play games.

"We wanted him to play and needed him to play games so was brought in on that understanding.

"If he wants to move then he can do but we’re hopeful he’ll want to stay here and keep playing for us and see where things take us.”

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