By Charlie Summerbell
July 16 2009

Hartlepool have had a combined offer for Cork City players Colin Healy and Denis Behan accepted by the Irish club. The fee is believed to be more than 110,000 euros, approaching £100,000 in proper money. To many clubs in League One, that sort of figure is chicken feed – to Hartlepool it’s big time.

Pools had a 100,000 euro offer turned down a few days ago, but Cork are short of cash and have now accepted another improved bid.
The players will now meet Pools officials, probably at the weekend, to discuss terms.
Midfield player Healy has 13 senior Irish caps, but after spells with Glasgow Celtic, Coventry City, Sunderland, Livingston, Barnsley, Bradford, he returned to his native Ireland.
He was at Sunderland for three years, but suffered two broken legs during his spell at the Stadium of Light and wasn’t able to establish himself.
This season he has scored once in nine games for Cork.
Behan signed for City from Brentford and has been capped at U16, U17, U18 and U21 levels for Ireland. A bustling, old-fashioned striker, he has two goals from seven games.
The news will be welcomed by pools fans, many of them feeling that despite a lot of new players signing this summer, Pools still needed another striker and a midfield playmaker.
But there still isn’t a new left-back.
Pools lost their second pre-season game in Holland, 4-2 against a classy Cambuur side, the goals coming from Jonny Rowell and Andy Monkhouse.
Hopefully, not too much should be read into Pools performances in Holland, with the players as well as Chris Turner insisting that they have had a good work-out and that the games have given them plenty to work on.