Challinor confirms premature end to Parkhouse's loan at Hartlepool

Dave Challinor has revealed David Parkhouse’s loan spell at Hartlepool United is effectively over.

The 21-year-old was on a half-season loan from Premier League side Sheffield United but was limited to just four starts and five substitute appearances in all competitions, scoring twice.

Parkhouse hadn’t started a league match for Pools since OctoberbutdidstartlastSaturday’s FA Trophy penalty shoot out defeat at Halifax Town.

Now the striker has been allowed to return to Northern Ireland to be with his family over the festive period, bringing his time at Pools to a premature end.

Following the 3-1 Boxing Day win over Halifax, Challinor confirmed: “Parky’s loan is up at the start of January anyway and I spoke to him last week and he’s had some issues off the pitch at home with family not being well.

“We’ve allowed him to go back to Ireland to be at home withhisfamilyandspendsome time with them. He’ll then go back to Sheffield United in the new year when his loan is up.”

Despite things not working out for Parkhouse at Victoria Park, Challinor has backed the striker to get among the goals.

"Parky is a really good lad and things haven’t turned out how anyone would have wanted,” admitted the Pools boss.

“We thought we really had someone who could be that goal getter for us but with things like international duty and little niggles and that, it just hasn’t transpired.

"Hopefully, he goes back and potentially goes out on another loan, he certainly has the ability to score goals at this level, it just hasn’t worked for him here.”

* Va n a r a m a N a t i o n a l League leaders Torquay served further emphatic notice of their promotion credentials with a 6-1 demolition of Yeovil.

United led 4-0 by half-time, with the result barely in doubt following two goals in the opening 10 minutes as Armani Little’s free-kick was added to by Danny Wright.

SamSherringheadedhome Connor Lemonheigh-Evans’ corner in the 21st minute to make it three and Josh Umerah, a first-half substitute for Little, took just two minutes after his introduction to set up Aaron Nemane for the fourth.

Albi Skendi pulled one back four minutes after the break, but Lemonheigh-Evans quickly restored the four-goal margin after good work by Nemane and Ben Whitfield.

Kyle Cameron headed in Jake Andrews’ free-kick to make it 6-1.