After a wave of new arrivals following American businessman and investor Landon Smith’s takeover of the club on New Year’s Eve, Featherstone was forced to leave several senior players out of his squad for the first time since succeeding former boss Simon Grayson in October.
With recent recruits Charlie Caton — who scored on his debut against promotion-chasing York City — and Calvin Okike both named among the substitutes, Johnson and Ferguson stayed behind as Pools produced a dramatic comeback to beat Solihull 4-3 in the West Midlands, strengthening their push towards the National League play-off places.
Johnson’s time at Victoria Park has been particularly difficult since arriving in the summer to replace the prolific Mani Dieseruvwe, who netted 43 goals in 89 games during an impressive spell in the North East. Having previously scored freely for clubs such as Gateshead, Leyton Orient and Walsall — including a hat-trick against Pools on the opening day of the 2022/23 season — supporters initially believed the 32-year-old would prove to be a smart signing.
However, despite finding the net in four consecutive pre-season matches, the experienced striker has endured a frustrating campaign, failing to score in any of his first 30 competitive appearances. After struggling to make an impact early in the season, Johnson slipped down the pecking order and was reduced to limited involvement. His difficulties were compounded when he missed a penalty during December’s FA Trophy defeat to Northern Premier League Division One Midlands outfit Anstey Nomads.
For many fans, it now appears challenging for Johnson to revive his Hartlepool career, with the forward seemingly out of favour under Featherstone and at odds with supporters. With his contract expiring in the summer, speculation has grown that his time at the club could soon come to an end.
Ferguson has also found opportunities hard to come by since joining as a free agent in September, making nine substitute appearances and just one start in the National League. Despite previous experience with Southend, Wealdstone and Maidenhead, the 30-year-old has struggled to settle in the North East. His lone league start saw a misplaced pass lead directly to a goal in October’s 3-3 draw with Sutton United, underlining the challenges he has faced. Like Johnson, the Guyanese international has a tough task ahead if he is to turn his situation around.
Nevertheless, Featherstone maintains that both players still feature in his plans as Pools look to mount a sustained play-off challenge for the remainder of the season. Saturday’s victory over Solihull kept them level with seventh-placed Southend, and with 13 matches remaining, the manager believes he may yet rely on Johnson and Ferguson before the campaign concludes.
“They’re still part of the squad,” he said.
“We’ve built a group now where, for the first time since I’ve been here, I’ve had real decisions to make on the bench — I don’t think I’ve ever had to leave anyone out before.
“It’s nothing personal; it’s about choosing the right players for the game. I felt that on Saturday we needed that particular group. We wanted to win the match, so I left Smudge (Adam Smith, the back-up goalkeeper) out and went without a keeper on the bench. We wanted as many attacking options as possible to bring on if needed. I believed the 18 players we selected gave us the best chance of getting the victory.”
