League Two Lowdown: Hartlepool United

Last updated : 29 July 2016 By Jim Bonner

Vital Statistics

Founded: 1908

Chairman: Gary Coxall

Last Season: League Two - 16th

Nickname: The Pools, Monkey Hangers

Rivals: Darlington, Carlisle United

Major Honours

None

Scheduled Matches

Portsmouth vs Hartlepool: Saturday, December 17th (3pm)

Hartlepool vs Portsmouth: Saturday, April 1st (3pm)

Hartlepool United: A brief history

Formed in 1908 as Hartlepools United Athletic Football Academy the club spent most of its early history on the Third Division North until a certain young manager by the name of Brian Clough took the top job in 1965.

In 1968 the "s" from "Hartlepool" and the "United" were dropped from the club's name and they were known simply as Hartlepool until 1977 when "United" was restored.

Pools played in the bottom league for years, struggling financially and sacking managers so constantly Milan Mandaric would blush. Eventually a promotion came under Chris Turner in 2003 and the club has yo-yo'ed between the bottom two divisions since, despite being very close to promotion to the Championship.  

The Manager: Craig Hignett

Hignett began his playing career at Crewe but is more known for his time at Middlesbrough between 1992 and 1998 before playing briefly for a whole host of other clubs including Leicester City and Leeds United.

The 46-year-old retired at Hartlepool and and would become assistant to Colin Cooper in 2013 after a spell coaching the academy at Middlesbrough. Hignett returned to Teesside to assist Aitor Karanka but left at the end of 2014 and returned to Pools, where he was appointed manager in 2016 after Cooper was sacked.

The Ground: Victoria Park (Capacity: 7,800 - Away: 960)

The first thing you notice when you arrive in Hartlepool is that it's extremely cold! There is a small bar in the ground which welcomes away fans but the away end itself is bog standard with no redeeming qualities and also there are pillars to obstruct your view.

Once you step into the ground the first stand you'll likely see is the Niramax Stand. This stand has a bizarre colour scheme of green and yellow seating and wouldn't look out of place at a racecourse.

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The stand opposite the away end is the Town End, a fairly standard terrace for the slightly more vocal Pools fans.

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To your left is the Cyril Knowles Stand, named after a former player and manager who died of cancer at the age of 47 in 1991. This seems to be the best stand in the ground but the fans sitting there didn't seem to be interested in banter with the Pompey fans on a cold Tuesday night in 2013.

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