Fixtures

England National League 03/23 15:00 41 Eastleigh vs Hartlepool - View
England National League 03/29 15:00 42 Hartlepool vs Halifax - View
England National League 04/01 14:00 43 Rochdale vs Hartlepool - View
England National League 04/06 14:00 44 Hartlepool vs Aldershot - View
England National League 04/09 19:45 39 Maidenhead Utd vs Hartlepool - View
England National League 04/13 14:00 45 Hartlepool vs Dag & Red - View

Results

England National League 03/16 15:00 40 [12] Hartlepool v Southend [10] D 0-0
England National League 03/12 19:45 39 Maidenhead Utd v Hartlepool - PPT.
England National League 03/09 15:00 38 Gateshead v Hartlepool - PPT.
England National League 03/02 15:00 37 [10] Hartlepool v Barnet [3] L 1-2
England National League 02/24 15:00 36 [4] Solihull Moors v Hartlepool [10] L 2-1
England National League 02/20 19:45 35 [10] Hartlepool v Altrincham [5] W 3-2
England National League 02/17 15:00 34 [11] Hartlepool v Boreham Wood [13] W 3-1
England National League 02/10 17:30 33 [21] Woking v Hartlepool [12] D 1-1
England National League 02/03 15:00 32 [2] Bromley v Hartlepool [13] W 1-2
England National League 01/27 15:00 31 [14] Hartlepool v York [17] W 2-1
England National League 01/23 19:45 30 [13] Hartlepool v Kidderminster [24] L 0-1
England National League 01/20 15:00 29 [21] Ebbsfleet United v Hartlepool [16] W 0-1

Stats

 TotalHomeAway
Matches played 54 30 24
Wins 20 13 7
Draws 11 5 6
Losses 23 12 11
Goals for 83 45 38
Goals against 86 45 41
Clean sheets 5 2 3
Failed to score 14 9 5

Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The club compete in the National League, the fifth level of the English football league system.

They were founded in 1908 as Hartlepools United Football Athletic Company. West Hartlepool won the FA Amateur Cup in 1905 and after the club was dissolved in 1910 its assets and liabilities were subsequently taken over by Hartlepools United, who were then playing in the North Eastern League. Hartlepools United were elected into the Football League in 1921 and would spend the next 37 years in the Third Division North, at which point they were placed into the Fourth Division. In 1968, the s and the United of the club's name were removed due to the merger of West Hartlepool with the town of Hartlepool and the village of Hart – forming the new borough of Hartlepool. The club won promotion in 1967–68 for the first time, though were relegated out of the Third Division the following season. In 1977, the United was added back to the team's name. They won another promotion in 1990–91, though were relegated in 1993–94. They won further promotions out of the fourth tier in 2002–03 and 2006–07, having been relegated again in 2005–06 after losing the 2005 League One play-off final to Sheffield Wednesday in the previous season. Hartlepool were relegated again in 2012–13 and ended their 96-year run in the Football League with relegation into the National League in 2016–17. Hartlepool achieved promotion back to the Football League in 2020–21, beating Torquay United in the 2021 National League play-off final. However, Hartlepool returned to the National League after two seasons following relegation in 2022–23.

Hartlepool have played home games at Victoria Park throughout their history. Their main rival is Darlington. Between 1924 and 1984, Hartlepool had to apply for re-election on fourteen occasions (a record) in the fourth tier of English football; however, they were not relegated from this level until 2017. The club is also known for being the one where Brian Clough started his managerial career. Ritchie Humphreys holds the record for most appearances for the club, having made 543 appearances, while their leading scorer is Joshie Fletcher with 111 goals.

History

1908–1946: early years and establishment in the Football League

Hartlepool United's origins can be traced back to 1881 when West Hartlepool Amateur Football Club were founded, later joining as founder members of the Durham FA in 1883. In 1889, West Hartlepool subsequently joined the new Northern League before winning the FA Amateur Cup in 1905, beating Clapton 3–2. Partly as a result of this victory, the opportunity for a professional football team arose in 1908, when West Hartlepool Rugby Club went bankrupt, leaving their stadium, the Victoria Ground vacant. The stadium was bought and the current club was founded under the name Hartlepools United Football Athletic Company on 1 June 1908, representing both the town of West Hartlepool and the original settlement of Hartlepool, known locally as "Old Hartlepool". In their first season, they won the major regional trophy, the Durham Challenge Cup and retained it the following year as well as entering the FA Cup, in which they were drawn to play the local amateur club, West Hartlepool, with whom they shared the Victoria Ground. Hartlepools won 2–1 in the first qualifying round only to go out in the second, beaten by South Bank after a replay. They also entered the North-Eastern League, finished fourth in their initial season, and remained members of that league until 1920–21; their best season was 1910–11, when they finished third. In June 1910, the amateur West Hartlepool team folded, with their assets being taken over by Hartlepools. In 1921, the Football League agreed to form a Northern Section of the Third Division to complement the existing Third Division which contained only southern-based teams. Hartlepools were among the 18 applicants accepted as members. On 27 August 1921, Hartlepools played their first ever Football League match, defeating Wrexham 2–0. In 1921–22, Hartlepools finished their first Football League campaign in 4th place. Two seasons later, Hartlepools came 21st in the table, so were obliged to apply for re-election to the League; they and bottom club Barrow were elected unopposed. In the 1935–36 season, the club reached the third round of the FA Cup for the first time. Drawn against Grimsby Town, they held the First Division club to a goalless draw, but lost the replay. By the time the Second World War put a temporary end to competitive football, they had spent 18 consecutive seasons in the Third Division North, courtesy of two more successful applications for re-election.

1946–1969: FA Cup runs and first promotion

Chart of yearly table positions of Hartlepool in the Football League.

In the mid-1950s, Hartlepools enjoyed improved performances in both league and cup competition. In the FA Cup, they reached the fourth round for the first time in 1954–55, losing to Nottingham Forest in a replay after extra time. The following season, they lost 1–0 to reigning First Division champions Chelsea in the third round. At the same stage of the 1956–57 competition, in front of a record Victoria Ground attendance of 17,426, they came back from 3–0 down with top scorer Ken Johnson struggling with injury to equalise against Manchester United's "Busby Babes" before the top-flight club scored a late winner. Those three league seasons brought top-six finishes, culminating in what remains the club's record high of second place in 1956–57, when only the champions, Derby County, were promoted. They dropped into the bottom six in 1958, which meant they were placed in the Fourth Division when the regional sections were merged into nationwide third and fourth tiers. Despite this, in 1959, Hartlepools defeated Barrow 10–1, the current club record victory in a league match. However, Hartlepools did not fare well in the fourth tier. After five consecutive applications for re-election and with the club in financial difficulties, they appointed the 30-year-old Brian Clough in October 1965 to his first managerial role. He and assistant Peter Taylor, aided by a change of chairmanship, built a team that finished eighth in 1966–67. Clough gave his future European Cup winning captain John McGovern his professional debut for Hartlepools aged 16. Although Clough and Taylor then left for Derby County, the team maintained their form, finished third, and won promotion for the first time in the club's history in 1967–68. To better represent the new borough formed by the recent amalgamation of the adjacent boroughs of Hartlepool and West Hartlepool, the board decided the club would be called Hartlepool Association Football Club instead.

1969–1997: re-elections and stagnation in the Fourth Division

Hartlepool's foray into the Third Division lasted just one season, finishing 22nd. Under Len Ashurst (who became manager in 1971), the team slowly began to revive after years of largely indifferent form. After Ashurst departed for Gillingham, the club reached the League Cup fourth round in 1974–75 for the first and only time under Ken Hale, where they lost a replay to eventual winners Aston Villa. However, 1976–77 saw a return to the doldrums; Hale was sacked but his successor, Billy Horner, could not improve the team's form, with Hartlepool finishing in 22nd place. Again there was a strong challenger from non-League in the form of Wimbledon; however, as the club was seeking re-election for the first time in six years, it was Workington – bottom for a second successive year – that made way. Over the close season the team's name was changed to its current form of Hartlepool United. In 1977–78, the first season under that name, the team reached the fourth round of the FA Cup again. By the time automatic promotion and relegation between the Football Conference and the League was introduced in 1986–87, Hartlepool had made a record eleven applications for re-election to the Fourth Division, which added to the three in the pre-war Northern Section made fourteen, also a league record, all of which had been successful.

After a poor start to the 1989–90 season, the appointment of Cyril Knowles meant Pools achieved a remarkable turnaround. After avoiding relegation, Hartlepool were in play-off contention with the partnership of Paul Baker and Joe Allon. However, in February 1991, Knowles was diagnosed with brain cancer. Alan Murray was put in temporary charge, where Pools' form would improve further. Joe Allon's 28 goals helped them gain promotion via a third-place finish in 1990–91 which was confirmed with a 3–1 win against Northampton Town. This time their stay lasted three seasons. In 1992–93, Hartlepool defeated Crystal Palace 1–0 in the FA Cup third round – the first time that Hartlepool had beaten a top division side in its history. It was revealed shortly after the cup win that the club were in financial difficulties. To make ends meet, a number of players were released or sold, and the club set an unenviable record by going 1,227 minutes without scoring. The club eventually escaped relegation, finishing 16th but were relegated back to the fourth tier in the following season.

1997–present: success under IOR and relegation from the Football League

In 1997, Harold Hornsey sold the club to IOR Ltd, with Ken Hodcroft becoming chairman. After narrowly avoiding relegation to the Conference in 1999, the appointment of Chris Turner turned around the club's fortunes. Three consecutive defeats in the semi-finals of the play-offs preceded promotion in 2002–03 as runners-up, narrowly missing out on the title to Rushden & Diamonds. Hartlepool then achieved their highest finishing position since the introduction of the four-division structure, coming sixth in the third tier in both 2003–04 and 2004–05 under Neale Cooper. In the latter season, they reached the play-off final but lost out to Sheffield Wednesday after extra time. Relegated in 2006, they bounced straight back as runners-up in what was by then League Two. Promotion was confirmed with an away win at Wycombe Wanderers but they missed out on the title on the final day to Walsall.

They would spend six years in the third tier before being relegated in 2012–13. They came close to automatic relegation to non-League in 2014–15. June 2015 saw a change of ownership, IOR handing over to Essex recruitment firm JPNG, which appointed director Gary Coxall as chairman. But two years later, they were relegated from League Two after 96 years in the Football League. Needing to win their final match of the season and hope Newport County did not, Hartlepool came from behind to beat title-chasing Doncaster Rovers; however, Newport produced an 89th-minute winner to secure their own safety at Hartlepool's expense. By November 2017, financial legacy issues from JPNG intensified, with the club narrowly avoiding liquidation after being bought by local businessman Raj Singh in April 2018. Hartlepool ultimately finished a turbulent first season in non-League in 15th place. After four years, they returned to the Football League via the play-offs, defeating Torquay United on penalties in the 2021 play-off final. In Hartlepool's first season back in the EFL, they finished 17th and reached the EFL Trophy semi-finals for the first time, losing on penalties to Rotherham United. However, in 2022–23, the club were relegated back to the National League after only two seasons in the fourth tier.

Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional soccer team based in Hartlepool, England. The team was founded in 1908 and has a rich history in English football. They currently play in the National League, which is the fifth tier of the English football league system.

The team's home ground is Victoria Park, which has a capacity of over 7,000 spectators. The team's colors are blue and white, and their nickname is "The Pools."

Hartlepool United has had some notable achievements in their history, including reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup in 1957 and 1991. They also won the Football League Trophy in 1991 and were promoted to League One in 2007.

The team has a loyal fan base and is known for their passionate support. They have a strong rivalry with nearby teams such as Darlington and Sunderland.

Overall, Hartlepool United is a respected and competitive team in English football, with a proud history and dedicated fan base.