Anthony Limbrick, the head coach of Hartlepool United, has reaffirmed his intention to continue leading Pools in the upcoming campaign.
Chris Millington, the former Halifax manager who guided the Shaymen to consecutive top seven places and an FA Trophy win despite working on a shoestring budget, has been linked to a move to Pools this week.
Whoever is in charge next season looks set to have their work cut out following a dramatic few weeks that has seen takeover talks collapse, the resignation of Jeff Stelling as club president and the return of owner Raj Singh, following a bizarre vote amongst season ticket holders, to his former role as chairman. Pools look set for a challenging summer; popular defender Billy Sass-Davies, one of 10 players to have left the club since the end of the campaign, signed for National League rivals Altrincham on Tuesday, while the likes of Mani Dieseruvwe, Joe Grey and Nathan Sheron are all still to agree new deals and could well depart over the coming weeks.
Limbrick, who became the 17th appointment – including caretakers and interim bosses – to take charge of Pools since Raj Singh took over at the end of the 2017/18 season, has had to face a whole host of different challenges since replacing Lennie Lawrence in February. Having initially been appointed as head coach in November – in effect, Lawrence’s assistant – Limbrick was thrust into the limelight following the veteran’s sudden decision to take a step back.
After masterminding an impressive win over Sutton in his first game in charge, Pools failed to win any of their next eight matches before a run of six games unbeaten saw them put to bed any lingering fears of being dragged into a relegation battle. So far, Limbrick has won five, drawn six and lost six of his 17 games in charge.
While that record might seem unremarkable, it’s worth noting that Limbrick has had to contend with ongoing off-field chaos, with the club’s future thrown into doubt following Singh’s resignation in March, a month after Limbrick’s appointment. As the club’s figurehead, Limbrick has had to spend almost as much time contending with questions about off field issues and fears for the future as he has focusing on football and talking tactics, despite his admirable level-headedness in the face of such a challenging situation. With that in mind – not to mention that a hire and fire culture has caused Pools problems and stunted progression for far too long – many fans are keen to see the club stick with the Australian ahead of the new campaign.
Speaking to BBC Radio Tees Sport after Pools brought the curtain down on another underwhelming season with a 1-1 draw against Forest Green Rovers, Limbrick, who remains under contract, expressed his desire to remain at the helm at the Prestige Group Stadium.
“I think this is a Football League club, I’ve said that before,” he said.
“I love this little stadium, it’s like a small, boutique stadium; when the fans get going, it always feels like there are a lot more than there actually are, I love the passion and the people here.
“It means so much to them, and it does to us as well. That’s why I came here, I want to try and push this club forward and be here for a long, long time.
