Poolies at Heart is a deeply personal and richly varied celebration of Hartlepool United told by players, managers and fans.
Looking back across the decades, the book reveals the realities of life at the lower end of football’s spectrum at one of the north-east’s oldest clubs. Inside you’ll discover:
- Exclusive insider insight from the likes of former managers Danny Wilson, Kevin Phillips and Ronnie Moore, Peter Taylor’s daughter Wendy Dickinson, plus Hartlepool United legend Brian Honour
- The inside story of how Brian Clough came to manage Hartlepool
- The euphoria surrounding promotion the season after relegation, as remembered by Wilson
- An epic FA Cup tie against Sir Matt Busby’s Manchester United, which Hartlepool almost won
- Phillips’s account of his tenure as manager, interviewed just one week before he was sacked
- The Egyptian international who turned out for the Pool in the 1920s
- Insights on how John McGovern was first spotted by Peter Taylor, and given his Hartlepool debut as a teenager
- Fan memories of the ups and downs of this unique club across the decades
In every account, through every high and low, a love of the club shines through. Featuring recollections of favourite moments, memorable games and a plethora of personalities, this is the ultimate celebration of the Pools.
The author:
Stephen Poxon is a freelance writer engaged in a range of writing projects. This is his second venture into football writing. He is a fan of Manchester City, Hartlepool United and Billingham Synthonia, with Dundee United as his Scottish team. He once failed a trial with Burnley, sitting alongside Trevor Steven in the changing room (Trevor Steven went on to play for England; Stephen went home).
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