HARTLEPOOL United and Dave Challinor are closing in on an agreement for a contract extension following positive talks between the manager and Chairman Raj Singh.

Discussions have taken place between the club’s hierarchy and the management team for a number of months and it's understood that almost all the terms of the extension have been ironed out by both parties with a few details to rubber stamp.

There has been continuing dialogue between both parties all summer following the National League play-off final victory over Torquay United with fans hopeful that a deal could have been struck before the start of the season. Challinor made a bold statement in regards to one of his offers following their victory against Crawley Town on the opening day of the season by saying it was well below the average wage of a Football League manager.

Following a series of positive talks since that game, it now looks like an agreement is close and the club are hopeful of finalising the deal in the next two to three weeks.

After nearly two years with Pools, Challinor is into the final year of his current contract and both parties have been keen to extend his stay following the club’s promotion to League Two.

In the four league games Pools have played so far, they've won three and lost one. They face a trip to Tranmere Rovers this weekend looking to build on their strong start to the season. 

The Pools chairman exclusively told the Northern Echo: “If I’m being honest, the talks have been more protracted than I thought they would be because when we brought Dave on, I think it was one of the easiest deals we’ve had to strike.

The Northern Echo:

“I’ve got to hold up my hands as I thought it was going to be the same again without really realising that we’re in the Football League now and there are more complications. That’s the reason why I think it’s been dragging on a little bit.

“It’s a case of contracts getting drawn up and doing the fine tuning. Dotting the Is and crossing the Ts as they say.

“Once you get pen-to-paper, then that carries a lot of weight for the football club.

“Fans don’t always know what’s going on in the background and it’s easy for fans to say ‘well we’re not being informed and we’ve not been kept in the loop’.

“My programme notes on the first game of the season, I tried to keep them in the loop regarding the players and the manager’s situation and that backfired on me.

“The fans obviously want the best for the football club but I think sometimes when things get said and without knowing the facts, it doesn’t do the club or the fans any good really because before you know it, it builds into something totally different to what it is.”

The news will be a welcome boost to the club following a hugely successful time with Challinor at the helm. 

Speaking on the club's start to the season, Chairman Singh has been happy with what he's seen so far and feels that Pools haven't looked out of place in League Two.

“If we won another match, it would have been the perfect start!" added Singh.

“I think we’ve made a good start and I think the most pleasing thing for me has been that we haven’t been outplayed in any of the matches because that’s the first thing that you fear when you come up. We’ve matched every team that we’ve played so far.

"When you come up, you always want to make a good start because that sets you up for the new season, which is what we’ve had."