Attacker Luke Charman returns to full Hartlepool United training

The 28-year-old, who has scored seven goals in 66 games for Pools, has been sidelined since July following a collision with Grimsby Town goalkeeper Christy Pym during a pre-season friendly.

With Charman having left Victoria Park on crutches, there were initial fears that the forward might have been set to miss most if not all of the 2026/27 season before scans revealed what was, in effect, the best possible result Pools could have hoped for.

The former Newcastle United, Rochdale and AFC Fylde frontman, who can operate through the middle or on the left flank, returned to light training earlier this month and is now set to begin the final stages of his rehabilitation.