Jacob Jones: Simply Unbelievable

Brilliant start for Jones! 4 from 4 and only conceding 1 is an impressive way to start especially after last season. Hopefully it continues and wins the fans over! Keep it up mate!

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A faultless month, what more can be said? It was a truly magnificent start to the season for Hartlepool and Jacob Jones, who couldn't have dreamt of a better start to life in the job at Victoria Park.

The season began in convincing fashion, with a 3-0 victory against Maidstone United. With 199 travelling fans, United were rarely troubled and rightly ran out victors. Luke James, Cameron James and Nathan Arnold all opened their accounts for the season.

In Jones' first match in front of the home faithful, with an attendance of 3,363, they beat National League debutants Harrogate Town 2-0. The hosts dominated proceedings with 23 shots on goal, in comparison to Harrogate's four. Luke Molyneux struck after 24 minutes, before his goal was added to by Ryan Donaldson with four minutes to play.

Ebbsfleet followed for the Pools, as did another 2-0 win. An improved crowd of 3,776 witnessed Connor Newton open the scoring after 49 minutes for the hosts. Luke James proceeded to score his second goal of the campaign seven minutes later, with a well-timed finish. Again, Hartlepool controlled the game with the away side limited to three shots, of which only one was on target. The hosts had twenty.

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Relegation favourites Braintree became the first side to score past the strong Hartlepool defence in a 3-1 loss to the Poolies. Luke James, a Liam Noble penalty on the stroke of half-time and Luke Molyneux capturing the goals for Jacob Jones' men. Korrey Henry reduced the deficit, albeit in vein. Jones applauded the 162 supporters who made the 496 mile-round trip after the win.

Maidenhead proved to be tricky opposition, as they travelled to Victoria Park. Unbeaten themselves, a Luke Molyneux goal was enough in the end to seal the three points, however the visitors threatened numerous times. The only issue being the lack of composure in front of goal, with six of their seven efforts going off-target. 3,637 supporters were there to watch that one.

In the penultimate game of the month, Hartlepool returned to their best in a 2-0 win against Dagenham & Redbridge at Victoria Road (not to be confused with Victoria Park!) An inspired second-half proving the difference between the two, with Liam Noble bagging another goal from the penalty spot, two minutes prior to a fourth of the season for Luke Molyneux. Again, the travelling support got behind their men, with 189 making the trip to London.

Finally, in their toughest game of the season yet, arguably, Chesterfield travelled to Hartlepool. Cameron James netted from a corner ten minutes in for the hosts, getting his second goal of the campaign, prior to Ryan Donaldson's goal in the 21st minute to give Hartlepool a 2-0 lead at half-time. Scott Boden reduced the scoreline, in the second-half, but Luke Molyneux would soon make it 3-1.

The visitors put pressure on near the end, with Alex Kiwomya's strike in the 80th minute, setting up for a tense finish for the 3,743 home supporters, however Liam Noble's strike would make it 4-2 with five minutes to play. Scott Boden would score a second of the game late on, but it would only prove to be a consolation for the plucky visitors.



Player of the Month goes to winger Luke Molyneux. An impressive return of five goals from seven appearances has certainly merited the award for the Sunderland loanee.

Jacob Jones:

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"I am delighted for Luke. He has come into the squad and really settled, as has everyone at the club. For a player of his age, he shows maturity beyond his years and his ability cannot be overlooked. To score five goals in seven games from his position, on the wing, shows real attacking vigour."

"He's an exciting player and someone I believe will get bums off seats. He has the pace and quality to excite, but most importantly change games. He is a real gamechanger and that's what any team wants, someone who can change a game in an instance. Luke is that player, for us."

Replies

Jack: Don't put that pressure on us! Singh has a lot of things to make up for, but over time, there's no reason why he can't prove he is the right man to own a club like Hartlepool.

LFC: To say I'm pleased is an understatement. We'll do our best to continue this form!

Luke James has always been an impressive player when I've played at lower league levels in FM and he's proving to be the case here. On top of that, an incredible month and great work in what looked like a tough beginning month!

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After rejoining the club in the summer, Hartlepool United striker Luke James has admitted that he's happy to be back at Victoria Park.

James was released by League Two side Forest Green Rovers after making just 14 appearances. He would spend the latter half of the season with National League rivals Barrow and would prove to be a key player in the Bluebirds fight to survive in the division, scoring seven times in 17 games.

Facing competition from the Cumbrian outfit for his signature, United were able to prize back their former player, who departed the North-East in 2014.

After coming through the youth ranks, the 23-year-old made his first-team debut in 2011 and would go on to stake a regular place in the starting eleven, making 19 appearances that season and scoring three times.

He would return the same tally the next season, albeit this time from 26 games. as the club were relegated from Sky Bet League One.

A successful campaign in League Two, scoring 13 times, was enough to attract the attention of League One side Peterborough, who signed James for £850,000. However, he was never able to find the form he did with his previous side and scored just once in 32 appearances.

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A loan spell at Bradford followed, before a brief return to Victoria Park. Then just 20, James scored once in 20 appearances.

Bristol Rovers would prove to be James' last opportunity in League One, however upon his return to Peterborough, after failing to score in 24 games for the Gas in League One, he was released.

Forest Green Rovers, recently promoted from the National League, would acquire James last summer, but he would become surplus to requirements after failing to net in 14 games, prior to his loan move to Barrow.

However, James believes that his successful spell at Barrow has allowed him to rediscover his form in front of goal. Previous to his time at Holker Street, James had scored just twice in 103 games.

He said, "I was just devoid of any confidence. It was a truly horrible few years for me to endure such a drought in front of goal. Barrow were perhaps the last opportunity for me to prove myself and thankfully, I got that goal and kicked on from there. I am very thankful for the chance they gave me, as they were in a bad place at the time."

"It was a huge relief to get a few goals to my name again. I missed that buzz you got when you scored. I constantly felt frustrated, so it was a massive weight off my shoulders."

"The aim now is to maintain a good run of form in front of goal. I enjoyed my best years here and that's why I didn't hesitate when the club wanted me to come back. Hartlepool, the football club and the town itself, mean a lot to me and it's an honour to be back here."

I've started well, but I want to ensure that continues. We have started the season in great form and I've been lucky enough to play a part in every game, so far. I believe I'm on three goals for the season at the moment, which is great. I aim to keep adding to that and hopefully, I can end the season on a tally I'm proud of."

"Everyone has worked really hard. We intend to keep working just as hard in order to remain at the very top."

Hartlepool sit top of the Vanarama National League with a perfect record, after winning all seven of their games. They travel to 12th-placed Havant & Waterlooville at the weekend. The Hawks are making their debut in the division, after winning the National League South last campaign.

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Jack: He's an excellent player, although recent seasons don't suggest that, perhaps. The season has started very well though, no arguing that!

Some incredible form man, promotion is definitely on the cards for you

I expected a better win percentage, to be honest.

What a weird name 'Braintree' is. Where did the inspiration for that name come from? A tree growing in a brain? A brain growing in a tree? Somebody must have been smoking some mother earth's finest wacky tobacky at the time.

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The Vanarama National League Manager of the Month award for August goes to Hartlepool United's Jacob Jones.

Jones was handed his first job in management by the Pools this summer and has repaid the favour with a stunning run to begin the new season.

In their second season in the fifth tier, Jones has steered the club to a perfect start to the season, with seven wins from their opening seven games, keeping five clean-sheets along the way.

An opening day 3-0 victory away to Maidstone United was followed by back-to-back home victories against Harrogate Town and Ebbsfleet United, respectively.

The month was capped off with victories against Braintree Town, Maidenhead United, Dagenham & Redbridge and Chesterfield.

The performances of winger Luke Molyneux has been one of many highlights so far. The 20-year-old loanee from Sunderland has scored five goals, in a hugely impressive start to the season.

After claiming the award, Jones said: "This is a fantastic honour for me. I couldn't have asked for a better start, but that certainly goes down to the players and the rest of the coaching staff. It's a real team effort here and we hope we can continue to impress over the coming months."

Replies

Griffin: Fingers crossed!

Justice: I'm very sorry, bitterly disappointed not to have a better start, really... and I have no idea. I mean, Braintree is in Essex, so that may give you some information as to why that came across as a good idea.

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You never know what truly lies behind someone's smile. That person that you thought had it all and that smiled, all the time, was actually falling apart. Breaking down...

That's how it was. I was the person who everyone thought had everything they could dream of. I had no reason to be unhappy and the smile that I put on my face was real, when in actual fact, it was simply artificial. Hiding all the hurt that was driving me to an early grave.

Every small thing gradually grew into one big mess. One big mess that was simply too big for one person to carry. But there was nobody there for me to rely on, to share that mess with to make it manageable.

It began with simple things. But then those simple things turned into major things.

Losing a loved one is hard, but losing two? It's simply too much to ask for one person to cope with, as I found out.

When I lost my grandmother, I turned to my boyfriend for reassurance that everything was going to be okay. It never would be, because she was the beacon of hope in my life, but having that person there was enough for me to fight through that daily struggle.

I could share my thoughts and memories with him. Doing so brought some happiness into my life. It allowed me to remember the good things and want me to cherish and blossom in life for her.

So, who was the second loved one I lost? Well, it was him. I lost him. He betrayed me. I was simply too much for him to handle. So, I was tossed to the lions, I guess you could say. It hurt a lot because not only that, but he would move on extremely quickly. I was fragile at that point, but that truly broke me. I shattered completely. I imploded.

When that happens, you question everything. With nothing much left to fight for, I was convinced that was the end. So, I took myself down to the beach for one last look at the beach that me and my grandmother loved. The memories there would remain forever, even after we both passed.

I cried for a long time, sitting on the bench that looked out onto the sea. After a while sat there, I felt a warm presence near me, so attempted to wipe away the tears. He sat next to me, not saying anything for a while, before saying "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah," I hesitated. "It is."

He turned towards me, with the tears still visible in my eyes. He smiled, slightly, questioning what was wrong. I tried to shrug him off by replying that I was fine, but he was persistent. In that moment, I let everything out. I had no idea why I released all this emotion to a stranger, but I did. I told him everything and cried, a lot more.

That night was important because it made me realise a lot. He sat with me, for what must have been several hours, listening and making me feel that I mattered. It was the first time, in a very long time, that someone had done that. He made me smile and laugh, something which I felt that I had forgotten to do and all my worries seemed to grow smaller. It was magical.

This stranger changed my life for the better. In retrospect, I couldn't be more thankful, but in that moment I couldn't find the words to express what he had done.

We became good friends that night. He changed my life. "I'm Amy, by the way." I said.

"Jacob," he replied.

With that, I took his hand and felt safe for the very first time. It was something I could never have imagined. He gave me the reassurance I needed, which felt strange from someone I had known little longer than a few hours. But I didn't complain, I felt that I had someone again.

It's ok to not be ok and hopefully he can start to turn things around

Seems like Hartlepool isn't Jones' only management job with his new role as 'Amy's Life Manager'. However, when you mentioned 'boyfriend' in that update I thought it would emerge that Jacob was going to come out as gay!

Ooo has Jacob found a love interest! Hopefully it doesnt distract him from the football! Keep it up mate

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That night replayed in my head over and over again. I was astounded by Jacob's empathy towards me; a complete stranger. I was able to pour my entire being out to him and he would listen, completely motionless but totally understanding of everything I uttered. I was simply mesmerised by him and as we talked in the days that followed, I felt a connection with him.

It was a connection that I had never felt before. All my previous relationships seemed to exist based on empty love. Perhaps this my first real taste of what love really was. But could I really love somebody based on a few meetings? He knew so much about me, but I knew so little about him. Maybe the intrigue was part of what drew me in. A man of mystery.

Truth be told, I was blissfully unaware if he shared any of the feelings I had towards him. But, a woman has to try. If I didn't, I could regret it for the very existence of my life. This man, although I knew so little of him, seemed the very person I needed. It seemed like it was meant to be, at least to me.

I'm glad I did, in truth. We arranged to meet up at a local restaurant a week or so later and the resulting date, as it turned out, brought me the results in which I was hoping for. I had completely fallen for him. Perhaps it was naive of me to do so, but I was drawn to everything about him.

We would talk more about each other and in the weeks that followed, we grew closer. Our relationship grew deeper and everything led to that one night. One night of passion that finally gave us the answer as to if we were meant for each other. It was beautiful.

Without Jacob, I would have no idea where I would be right now. Laying beside him each night, I sometimes open my eyes and smile at what I have. I have a sense of self-satisfaction that I have someone who really, truly, loves me. No gimmicks, just real, passionate love.

He has supported me so much and I intend to repay him, one day. I have witnessed the hard work he puts in every day. As a woman who grew up watching football, albeit with another team in Newcastle United, I am fascinated in everything he does.

The success he has achieved so far is completely merited and nothing gives me more joy than seeing the smile on his face after each and every win. I sit in the stands, watching on, smiling right back at him. He tells me that I'm the key to his success and I laugh. Whatever it is, I long for it to continue.

Our journey has just begun together, but I can't wait for what the future holds...

Replies

Griffin: Indeed. Jessie J taught us that one.

Jack: Hahahaha, I can see why looking back!

LFC: Hopefully not!

Justice: What are you trying to imply there?

Your style of writing man, i really am in awe of it!