Crawley Town star not included in squad for Hartlepool United

Nichols was left out of the squad last week for the 2-0 win over Swindon Town. Matthew Etherington said the decision ‘was out of his hands’ in his post-match interview.

And on Monday director of football Chris Galley clarified the reason. He told the Crawley Observer: “Last week, we received an offer and some strong interest for Tom Nichols and we, as an organisation that believes in a collaborative approach, felt that this was an unnecessary distraction for Matthew’s first game in charge.

"Tom is a fantastic professional and continues to work hard and give his all to the club.”

And new boss Etherington today (Thursday, December 8) said in his preview to the Hartlepool game he would not be included again. He said: “That [serious offer] is the reason Tom wasn’t involved last weekend and he won’t be involved on Friday night.

"It’s an ongoing situation but I am here to concentrate on the players I do have available and making sure they are as good as they can be.”