By Albatross
August 20 2003

Hartlepool United have signed a former Australian Youth International on a short term deal. Adam Van Dommelle's the name, and he'll find it a bit of a difference playing for Pools compared to taking on Brazil and Nigeria in the u17 World Cup in Trinidad a year or two back.... There I was, wondering what I could put on the site today, when a text message arrived: "Pools have signed former Australian Youth International Adam Van Dommelle..."

So who is that masked man? Van Dommelle is a left sided defender, former Australian u17 international, and still just short of his 19th birthday. He's no stranger to the UK; he had a trial with Leicester City at the end of 2001, and also spent some time at Oxford over the summer; he actually scored twice for them in a friendly against Wantage Town.

In Australia, he represented Enfield City and Modbury, as well as playing for and attending the South Australian Sports Institute. He'll make his first appearance in a Pools shirt in this afternoon's Reserve match at Doncaster.

Van Dommelle is on a short term deal at Pools, and will be hoping to impress and follow in the footsteps of the growing number of Aussies playing overseas. In addition, he will be hoping to do better than Pools' previous Antipodean players - goalkeepers Frank Talia (now at Wycombe) and Simon Miotto (last known at St. Johnstone).