Alex Reid, the National League stalwart ready to fire Hartlepool to success

When it comes to scoring goals in the National League, not many can rival the career that Alex Reid has had. 

Since scoring his first goal at this level in 2017, on his debut for Wrexham, Reid has spent the vast majority of his career in the fifth tier, finding the net consistently for the likes of Stockport - where he it a career high of 20 in 2021 - Oldham and Wealdstone. 

This summer, the forward found a new permanent home when he joined Hartlepool, adding another former Football League name to his CV, and Reid admits it was a move that just felt right at this time in his career. 



"I couldn't turn it down," he admits, speaking exclusively to DAZN. 

"I wanted to come here and play some football, score goals again and that's how the move to Hartlepool came about.  

"I was surprised, really, because I've had a mixed bag of things with the National League. I didn't know what to expect.

"I've been at clubs where there is no training ground and I've also been at clubs where, like Stockport, where it's state of the art. 

"But, it's brilliant. The facilities are all good and we've got everything we need.

"The National League has always been good to me. I've played for some big teams, I've played for some smaller teams, but I love the National League.

"Some people sort of sit there sometimes and have a little bit of football snobbery, thinking League Two is better than the National League, but I don't think there's a massive difference in the quality." 

The Monkeyhangers swooped to sign the striker after his displays for Wealdstone last season, as his goals played a massive part in helping the Stones survive in the division. 

He's carried that form into the new campaign, too, scoring three times for his new employers in his first nine games for 'Pool, but he's set his sights even higher this term and is aiming for success both in front of goal and in the promotion race. 

"As a striker, when it comes down to it, you live and die by your goals," Reid states. Getty Images

"People are always going to judge you on how many goals you've got. I've got three so far this season. I want to replicate what I did last season and score 20 goals again.  

"I went to Wealdstone last year from October, and by December I had 13 goals.  So if I can get anywhere close to that, around 15 goals by the Christmas, January mark, then I'll be in good stead for that. 

"I  want to have a real good push with Hartlepool and prove to the league and to the fans that we are a big club and Hartlepool is a big club and they've got a big fan base. 

"If we can get momentum and start winning games, we can become a real force."
 

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His goals have seen Simon Grayson's men lose only one game so far, and they sit just outside the play-off places ahead of matchday 10 of the season. Grayson brings a wealth of experience from both a player and a manager - even if Reid was unaware that his current boss is a former Aston Villa player, the club he and his family grew up supporting. 

However, he praised the Hartlepool boss for the way his approach and how it could prove key come the end of the season. 

Adding, "The Gaffer's been brilliant. He brings a calmness. 

"I've had managers in the past who will sort of rule with an iron fist and they'll have to shout and ball and whatever, but Gaffer's very precise in what he wants.

"He brings a calmness to the lads and, so far, so good. I just think we can be quietly confident without there being masses and masses of pressure for us to have to go up and have to be promoted like your other teams.

"We can sort of just sort of chip away all season, get points on the board, win games." 

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