PAY DAY came and passed for Hartlepool United yesterday without incident. Staff and players received their wages as planned and promised.

While the club managed to find the funds to pay wages before Christmas, at the time the club was put up for sale, fears were raised that January’s pay date would pass them by.

But the sale of Connor Simpson to Preston for £50,000 and gate receipts from last weekend’s defeat to Wrexham ensured funds were available.

“It has happened,’’ confirmed boss Craig Harrison yesterday afternoon. “If it hadn't I'd have had a queue a mile long out my office. It was promised and happened. We need to just get on with it now.’’

There is some tentative interest from Sweden in the club.

Daniel Kindberg, chairman of Ostersunds, last week hinted he was keen to look at the possibility of taking charge.

But last night he appeared to step back from any deal, admitting: "I haven't been deeply in the process. Some people approached me and Hartlepool is the kind of club that has a fantastic fanbase and passionate fans, both very important things, but on the other hand I have a lot of things going on right now.

“It is a consortium that contacted me. I'm not really sure that it would suit me, but you never know."

Harrison and his squad head south today for tomorrow’s game at Eastleigh. They will stay overnight after training at Aston Villa on the way with their coach company, Compass Royston, happy to take them.

“It’s a long trip, but that’s what we have done and we may have to save a few pennies on the standard of hotel – we may have to sleep on the bus yet!’’ Harrison joked.

“It’s hard, we all know things aren’t how we would like them, but when is life like that? I’ve always tried to be positive about things. There’s always someone with a tougher problem to deal with.’’

No football clubs have tougher problems than Pools right now. There’s over £78,000 raised on line, but that has yet to be distributed of handed over to the club.

Tuesday’s news that Chris Musgrave was unable to progress with his proposed takeover after he could not determine the level of the club’s debt left Pools and Harrison reeling.

Musgrave was willing to pump an initial £1.5m into the club, but felt that it would be nowhere near enough to solve their problems.

Chairwoman Pam Duxbury is still understood to be trying to fix the club’s accounts and make them available for prospective buyers, but the club has now been up for sale officially for a month

Tuesday’s opponents Chester are in a similar state off the pitch. An open meeting last night claimed the club could run out of cash next month. Supporters were last night told that they need to raise between £80-90,000 a month to survive.

The fear is that Pools will be hit hard financially next month without a home game and Harrison admitted: “If nothing happens it will be deja-vu.

“The only benefit will be that we have all been through this before. I am the type of person that can take positives from bad situations.

“Once it has happened once and it hasn't killed you then it makes you grow stronger.

“We can't control it. If and when it happens we will deal with it.’’