Hartlepool United FC is a football club based on the north east coast of England, around thirty miles south of Newcastle. The club was formed as Hartlepools United FC in 1908 as the club represented both West Hartlepool and Old Hartlepool.
A separate club, West Hartlepool FC won the FA Amateur Cup in 1904-05, but soon lost players to the newly formed club. United moved into the Victoria Ground, as West Hartlepool Rugby Club went bust and left the ground unoccupied.
The club began life in the North Eastern League under manager Fred Priest, having been denied a place in the Football League owing to the proximity of the other clubs in the region already having membership. However, in 1920 the League was extended and United were given a place in Division Three North.
United struggled for many seasons, having to apply for re-election at the end of the season on six occasions before World War Two. They fared a little better in the 1950's, reaching the FA Cup fourth round in 1954-55 with Fred Westgarth in charge of the team.
In 1956-57 a record gate of 17,264 flocked to the Victoria Ground to see Manchester United's Busby Babes in action. Hartlepool trailed 3-0 but drew level before going down to a late goal. The same season saw Pools finish as divisional runners-up.
The club was placed in Division Four the season after following re-organisation in 1958. Things improved following Brian Clough's appointment as manager in 1965 despite him not been keen on taking the job at first.
He rallied the town to get behind his team and generally dragged the club from its slumber, upsetting his chairman along the way. In May 1967 the impressive Clough was snapped up by Derby County, with the club changing its name to Hartlepool FC after winning promotion in 1967-68 with Angus McLean at the helm.
The teams spell in Division Three lasted just one season, with Hartlepool returning to a struggling existence. In 1977 the club added United to its title after John Simpson, Len Ashurst and Ken Hale had spells in the manager’s seat before the arrival of the popular Billy Horner.
The goals of Bob Newton and Keith Houchen cheered the crowds while financial problems also dogged the club off the pitch with Vince Barker threatening to move them to Scarborough in 1980 after he claimed that the local council reneged on a deal concerning the ownership of the Victoria Ground.
John Duncan and then Mick Docherty had short spells as manager in 1983 before Horner returned. The supporters became totally dissatisfied with the board with gates dipping. A low of 790 was posted in May 1984 for the home game with Stockport County. Barker departed with John Smart taking over.
Horner continued to do his best managing the team with limited resources until he was replaced by John Bird during the 1986-87 season as relegation from the Football League seemed a distinct possibility. The same season saw Middlesbrough use the Victoria Ground for a few early games as they were locked out of Ayresome Park after going into administration.
Bird's team with the goals of Paul Baker and Andy Toman showed signs of improvement but he departed to take the vacant job at York City, to be replaced by a highly unsuccessful spell under Bobby Moncur.
New Chairman Gary Gibson appointed Cyril Knowles, who would go on to gain legendary status in his short spell with Hartlepool fans after initially helping save another relegation threat. Joe Allon joined Baker up front as fortunes improved as the team were in the top ten all season until tragedy struck.
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| The 'temporary' Main Stand at the Victoria Ground |
Knowles was diagnosed with a brain tumour and passed away in August 1991. Former chief executive Alan Murray took up the reigns and led the team to promotion as Allon was sold to Chelsea. Several good signings were made as the team vied for promotion a couple of seasons later before eventually missing out.
However, during the 1992-93 season it was revealed that the club had major financial problems, so players had to be sold. Murray was sacked and replaced by Viv Busby as a relegation was escaped. However, a return to the bottom tier followed the season after as no money was available for players.
Busby departed and other managers also tried their best. Local businessman Harold Hornsey bought the club and stabilised the finances for a couple of years before selling to oil company IOR while remaining chairman for another couple of years. At around the same time United's home ground was renamed Victoria Park.
Mick Tait was manager during the 1998-99 season but was replaced by Chris Turner as United's League place was in danger but helped by the experience of Peter Beardsley the team stayed up as Turner turned fortunes around.
Pools reached the semi-finals of the play-offs in 1999-00, 2000-01 and 2001-02 but lost on each occasion to Darlington, Blackpool and then Cheltenham Town. Turner led the side to automatic promotion in 2002-03 before moving to Sheffield Wednesday to be replaced by Mike Newell and then Neale Cooper who continued to build on the good work.
Cooper departed surprisingly near to the end of the 2004-05 season as his assistant Martin Scott took the team to the play-offs, defeating Tranmere Rovers before going down 4-2 in a classic encounter to Sheffield Wednesday at the Millennium Stadium.
Scott and then Paul Stephenson spent time as manager, with the latter in charge as the team were relegated in May 2005-06. Danny Wilson was appointed as the new manager and he immediately led the club to success as the team were promoted as runners up.
However, the owners proved difficult to please and Wilson was on his way during the 2008-09 with Chris Turner returning to the hot seat. His position caused much unrest as he was also involved with a consortium looking to buy Sheffield Wednesday, so in the summer of 2010 he was replaced by Mick Wadsworth.
During the following close season, a scheme selling season tickets for just £100 attracted 5,500 takers as Norberto Solano was added to the playing ranks. Unfortunately, after a great start the form dropped off with Wadsworth being replaced by the returning Cooper in December 2011.
The team ended in mid-table but following another season ticket offer the side started the 2012-13 in awful form with fellow Scotsman John Hughes arriving as manager in place of the sacked Cooper. Hughes was also shown the door, in April 2013 as United were relegated.
Colin Cooper was employed as the new manager. Paul Murray lasted just a few weeks at the helm after being appointed in October 2014 after Cooper’s resignation. Ronnie Moore was at the helm until February 2016 when Craig Hignett was put in charge.
He departed in January 2017, with the experienced Dave Jones unable to save Pools from relegation to the National League as departed before the end of the disastrous 2016-17 season after a goal two minutes from time at home to Newport County on the final day of the season sunk the Pools side led by Matthew Bates.
To add to the woes the club had changed ownership on a couple of occasions and were now in financial trouble. Craig Harrison took charge of the team, only to be replaced by Bates halfway through United’s first season in the fifth tier. Raj Singh, who had put local rivals Darlington into Administration when their owner, bought Hartlepool United.
Richard Money was appointed as manager in December 2018, swapping roles with football director Hignett a few weeks later. Dave Challinor arrived at Victoria Park as manager in November 2019. The side ended in twelfth on points per game after the regular 2019-20 season ended early owing to Coronavirus.
Pools reached the playoffs in 2020-21, defeating Bromley, Stockport County, and then Torquay United on penalties in controversial fashion to return to the Football League. Challinor departed for Stockport the following November, to be replaced by Graeme Lee.
Paul Hartley took charge of the team from June 2023, lasting just a few months before being replaced by Keith Curle. John Askey replaced him the following February but could not help halt the slide as Hartlepool returned to the National League.
Former Sunderland goalscoring hero Kevin Phillips took over as manager in January 2024, before resigning at the end of a disappointing season to be replaced by Darren Sarll.
Hartlepool United 1 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 26th March 1988) Division Four (att: 2,453)
My first visit to Hartlepool was made on the Gas Club/Post Office mini bus run by the much missed George Johnson. As ever he'd arranged that we left in good time with an intended pub stop before reaching town. On this occasion, as many others, we hit the jackpot.
I was in excellent form as we arrived at the Victoria Ground, even more so on finding that my pal Steve Adams had left me a complimentary ticket! I walked inside not expecting to find a work of beauty, which is as well, as I wasn't let down.
Where there was once a small wooden Main Stand, which in itself was only meant to be temporary when erected in 1921, there was now a row of portakabins and a small enclosure for directors. The club had been enforced to remove the old structure following the Bradford Fire Disaster.
The game was unremarkable. Boro still had hopes of reaching the play offs, but on a blustery afternoon the game just drifted along. Ian Ironside, making his first league appearance in the Boro net saved a penalty.
Post match we headed back and attempted to stop at Sleights for beers, which if I remember rightly we did at the second pub of trying.
Hartlepool United 3 Scarborough 1 (Tuesday 11th April 1989) Division Four (att: 1,845)
This was a really foul evening to go anywhere, but the howling winds and driving rain coming off the nearby North Sea made it really miserable. The decent following of Boro fans huddled in groups against the back wall to try and hide from the weather while sneaking a look through the holes at the dog racing next door.
Boro badly needed a win against lowly United to continue their promotion charge, but in truth the teams of Colin Morris often failed where Neil Warnock's side would grit out a win, despite there being very few differences in the starting line ups.
They capitulated to a hungry team who wanted it more and didn't look bothered by the conditions. We were not best happy as we clambered back on the mini bus to try and thaw and dry out. Our mood wasn't aided by the friendly Cleveland Police escorting everyone back past Scaling Dam to prevent a beer anywhere north of Whitby.
Hartlepool United 4 Scarborough 1 (Tuesday 26th December 1989) Division Four (att: 3,698)
Just when we thought the previous visit couldn't have been any worse, it most certainly did. We set off in good spirits on the bus with turkey sarnies and mince pies aplenty and arrived at a pub somewhere near Middlesbrough with a charity football match taking place on the pitch next to it. All was good as we left there at 1pm to head for some more fine ales at The Blue Bell. This is where it all went downhill.
The kind constabulary had decided to hammer home the overtime and were waiting in vans to stop all Boro supporters as they left the roundabout from the A19. Several coaches and mini buses were all held until 2pm when they kindly escorted us to the ground and made sure we all went to stand in the freezing open end for an hour or so before kick off.
Cyril Knowles had only recently taken over at the bottom of the table Pools and had signed several new players including Ian Bennyworth from Boro, where he'd only ever been moderately popular. Basically, Boro were outfought and out thought and looked like they'd overdosed on Christmas pudding and were missing their fireside's.
The home fans were delirious under the new roof at the Rink End, especially when Bennyworth scored. It was a day when we wondered why we ever bothered?
Solace was sought by stopping for beers for an hour or so in Whitby on the way home. I think it says everything that it ranked as the days highlight.
Hartlepool United 1 Scarborough 1 (Saturday 6th January 1996) Division Three (att: 2,252)
For reasons listed above, I gave Hartlepool a wide berth for a few seasons, but decided it was time for another go after Sean Hunter announced in the Tap & Spile that he was prepared to drive, so I thought I'd accompany Col Whelan.
I was interested as to how we'd get on up there with the locals. Bunner and some of the boys had erected a mock scaffold and hung a toy monkey from it on the A171 before a home game with them as a mickey take of the famous story of the town when they hung a ship's monkey as they suspected it was a French spy. Luckily their intelligence and humour had improved from those days and they were fine!
Victoria Park, as it was now called, had changed out of all recognition. It was now an impressive arena. We were placed in the Rink End, which was now seated. The far Town End now had a cover and accommodated the vocal Poolies.
Boro put in a reasonable performance with Kevin Magee scoring the goal. Hartlepool must have been poor at the back! It also rained all day.
Hartlepool United 3 Scarborough 0 (Saturday 17th April 1999) Division Three (att: 5,098)
My visits to Hartlepool were hardly filled with joy, but they were like music hall comedies compared to this classic. I was a little disorientated as Karl Theobald, who'd kindly agreed to drive, parked up in a warm sunny and wind free town. The pubs were sound enough around the harbour area and then the town, although the big Elvis tattooed barman in one pub frightened the life out of us.
I was devastated. This was a game we really couldn't afford to lose, yet the players had barely turned up. I asked scorer Chris Freestone why he'd been let go by Middlesbrough? He replied by scoring. Peter Beardsley boosted the home team as they ran Boro ragged. The home 'fans' boosted by many from up the coast goaded us for the rest of the afternoon.
We sat in the car in deathly silence and listened as the other scorers didn't help us either. Then the news headlines came on offering my Pièce de résistance. I was to move to London the following Sunday to start a new life. I was tense about the decision as I hadn't any work sorted in advance; just a place on my brother Paul's settee.
The newsreader announced that a bomb had gone off in Brixton, a mile or so from where Paul lived. I had to break the silence before one of my fellow passengers wet themselves and burst out with laughter. It was the only thing I could do.
I walked straight into the Gas Club to announce to Bob Hall that we were as good as relegated. I can't remember much else so I must have drowned my sorrows good and proper.
The colour photos of Victoria Park have been taken from the internet. I didn't take a camera on any of my visits, and even if I had my hands would have been too cold apart from the last time to use it properly. My black and white image has been scanned from Simon Inglis' excellent book of the Football Grounds of England and Wales.
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