Hartlepool United manager Darren Sarll delighted with bright start to North East recruitment drive

Three of Sarll's first four summer signings have links to the local area; Luke Charman was born in Durham and captained Newcastle's under-23s, Jack Hunter came through the ranks at Newcastle and helped Gateshead win the National League North title while Adam Campbell was raised in North Shields and had a brief loan spell at Pools back in 2014.

Sarll's recruitment has, so far, been refreshingly focused, a welcome contrast to the more slapdash and haphazard approach of some previous regimes.

Together with head of football Joe Monks and chief scout Ronnie Moore, the new boss has focused on strengthening areas where Pools were lacking last term, signing players who appear well-suited to his intense, energetic, pressing brand of football and possessing good pedigree and National League experience.

Underpinning it all is an emphasis on signing players who understand the North East, a region which is home to some of the most dedicated yet demanding fanbases in Europe.

For Sarll, who was born in Hertfordshire and had not managed further north than Stevenage prior to his appointment at Pools, recruiting a core of players with a concrete connection to the area was of particular importance.

In the past, Pools have been a victim of their geography and have struggled to attract players to the North East, despite all the region has to offer; for a player from London, say, a move to Hartlepool would represent both a change in lifestyle and a 260 mile trip northwards.

Now, though, it appears as though Sarll is looking to use Hartlepool's location to his side's advantage; on the one hand, players who know the North East might be better prepared for the unique footballing atmosphere in the area and, on the other, fans who feel a sense of kinship with the players might be even more vocal in their support of their side.

Sarll has previous experience of working in an area that, geographically, seems somewhat distant from some of the UK's so-called hotbeds but managed to achieve success with a patchwork squad while in charge of Yeovil, leading the Glovers to the National League play-offs.

His emphasis on players from the North East means the boss is adopting a slightly different approach this time - during his stint in Somerset, Sarll assembled a squad from across the country - but he'll be hoping that he'll be able to achieve similar success when the season kicks off in August.

"I think it's a really, really important aspect," he told the club website.

"Even when I met the board we discussed, maybe, the possibility of some difficulty in bringing players to the North East.

"I can only reflect on my time at a club that was similar in terms of its location being so remote in Yeovil.

"At Yeovil I had players from all over the country - Liverpool, Stoke, Wales, North East London. They really did come from everywhere.

"I just thought that, being from the south, I wanted to make sure that the connection with the North East was as strong as possible.

"I didn't want to be one of those managers that comes from the south and brings 10 Londoners with him.

"I really wanted to explore the possibility of recruiting local players, players who understand the region, players who understand the North East culture, the tribalism.

"I thought it was so, so important to get that.

"So, to have done the work we've done so far, with the connection to the North East being so strong, is really pleasing."