Mixed news for former Sunderland favourites as they attempt to salvage careers

Two of the players who were key men for Sunderland in League One appear to be on different trajectories after recent struggles.

Former Sunderland defender Denver Hume has had a horrendous start to his Portsmouth career, but boss Danny Cowley believes he finally close to getting going on the south coast.

Hume was a key player for Sunderland when they started life in League One, but struggles with niggling injuries took their toll and severely hampered his career.

He joined Portsmouth in January in a bid to make a fresh start, but a combination of back and calf injuries have prevented him from playing a League One game since March.

Cowley, though, thinks the 26-year-old is close to full fitness again and ready to relaunch his career, particularly after a positive performance in the Papa Johns Trophy against Aston Villa under-21s.

‘Denver needs to keep working towards his match fitness,” Cowley said. “I thought Tuesday’s game was the most fluent he’s looked since his injury.

“It’s really nice to see him taking the space, as he does so well, combining and linking and he has that lovely ability to cross on the run.

“He’s definitely getting closer and closer now (to full fitness) and I can see him getting there. It’s a process any player has to go through when they get injured. That’s the reality.

“It takes time, and if it didn’t take time we wouldn’t do a pre-season - we’d just come back at the end of August and get our boots on.

“Of course, you have to build towards it and he’s had a mini pre-season in effect. I remember back to the Shrewsbury game we played away, I think he had over 20 crosses into the box that night.

“It’s been stop-start and that’s been frustrating for all of us really. So now we want to get him back up to top speed.”

Chris Maguire no closer to Hartlepool debut

Hartlepool boss Keith Curle has given an update on Chris Maguire, although he still doesn’t know when the former Sunderland man will be available.

Maguire was snapped up on a free transfer by Pools after his release from Lincoln City earlier this season. The Imps decided to cut ties with the Scotsman after he was charged by the FA with misconduct relating to betting rules.

With that investigation still live, Hartlepool have been unable to register the forward, and Curle has admitted it’s frustrating.

“I’ve got more clarity now having spoken to the football club and the stakeholders of the football club,” Curle said.

“I had a conversation with Chris yesterday and got more clarity but again it’s difficult at the minute because there’s different issues within it’s not just a case of signing a player, there’s different parameters that are coming into play.

“I’ve got more clarity in my position as manager of the football club from listening to stakeholders and to Chris.

“I understand where the EFL are coming from, where the PFA are coming from and I understand where Chris’ agent is coming from so I’ve got clarity from all angles.”

“It’s a difficult one because there’s the issue that has been brought by the FA that himself as a player needs clarity on, his agent needs clarity on and the PFA need clarity on that.

“But it’s very difficult to get that clarity when we’re in the hands of a governing body that can demand but don’t give you guidelines on ‘if it’s innocent it’s this, if it’s guilty it’s this, if there’s a misunderstanding it’s this’.

“We are working in a grey area but from the outside we are trying to understand that clarity that is needed.”

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