Club News

The Lowdown on...Hartlepool United

ARGYLE will be making the long trip to the north-east this year - although it looked for a time like we would not. It was an astonishing achievement for Hartlepool to survive last season...

Last season: 22, League Two, 45 pts
Manager: Ronnie Moore
Nickname: Pools
When we play them: home - Saturday, May 7; away - Saturday, December 19
Last Season: home - W 2-0; away L 3-2
Ins: Adam Bartlett (Gateshead); Rakish Bingham (Mansfield Town); Jake Carroll (Huddersfield Town); Peter Denton (Rotherham United); Rhys Oates (Barnsley); Kudus Oyenuga (Dundee United); Billy Paynter (Carlisle United); Carl Magnay (Grimsby Town); Harry Worley (Stevenage)
Outs: Neil Austin; Sam Collins; Jack Compton (Yeovil Town); Scott Flinders (York City); Jonathon Franks (Ross County); Marlon Harewood (Nuneaton Town); Darren Holden (Ross County); Jonathan Maxted; Tommy Miller; Stuart Parnaby

If they were a film they would be... Chicken Run. Last season Ronnie Moore performed a minor miracle by keeping Hartlepool in the Football League. Moore took over the coop in mid-December, with the previous manager (himself a Cooper) flying away semmingly on a wing and aprayer. At one point Hartlepool were 10 points adrift, so the fact that they are even in League 2 this season is worthy of a comparison to this animated classic, in which a daring escape is made. And yes, we realise that in this comparison Ronnie Moore is Mel Gibson, but it was still a job well done.