This article is part of the ‘League Preview’ series, in which every day we take a detailed look at one of Aldershot Town’s 23 prospective opponents for the upcoming National League season.
Today’s focus is 2020/21 National League play-off winners, and 2004/05 Football League One play-off finalists, Hartlepool United.
Founded in 1908, ‘the Pools’ are a club with a rich history in the Football League, and due to the supportership of a certain Sky Sports presenter, a side whose results have received a disproportionate amount of airtime for the past three decades.
Formerly known as Hartlepools, the club was also managed by Brian Clough, who began a now iconic managerial career with a two-year stint in County Durham.
The club are now under the stewardship of Simon Grayson, who joined the club this summer after spells in India and Nepal. Hartlepool will be aiming to bounce back from recent relegation and re-establish themselves as promotion contenders.
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Where is Hartlepool?
The port town of Hartlepool is situated at the far east of County Durham, straddling the coast of the North Sea. With a population of roughly 88,000, it is the second-largest settlement in its county, behind only Darlington (93,000). Approximately 286 miles from the EBB Stadium, this 5h 38m journey will mark Aldershot’s third-furthest away trip of the upcoming league season.
Hartlepool are one of just two professional football clubs in County Durham, alongside National League North outfit, Darlington. In terms of local rivals, their closest derby is Championship side Middlesbrough, who hail just 16 miles south over the River Tees. Outside of the town itself, Hartlepool currently serves as the closest place to see fifth-tier football or higher in Peterlee & Horden (~27,000 pop.), Spennymoor (21,000) and Bishop Auckland (67,000). However, this may soon change, with 2025 FA Trophy finalists Spennymoor Town making noise in the National League North.
Hartlepool United play their home matches at Victoria Park. Opened in 1886 as the original home of West Hartlepool RFC, the ground has been the uninterrupted home of football in Hartlepool for 117 years and counting, making it the second-oldest stadium in the division, after Rochdale’s Crown Oil Orena. With a capacity of 7,858, Victoria Park is the 10th largest ground in this season’s National League.
Hartlepool finished the 2024/25 season with an average league attendance of 3,758, the 5th highest among teams in this season’s competition.
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Recent history and club highlights
While the club have played in the third-tier as recently as 2013, the past decade has seen them yo-yoing in and out of the Football League. Entering their third successive non-league campaign, the Pool have squeezed into the top half on each occasion since relegation in 2023.
2024/25 – National League (11th)
2023/24 – National League (12th)
2022/23 – League Two (23rd, Relegated)
2021/22 – League Two (17th)
2020/21 – National League (4th, Promoted via play-offs)
2019/20 – National League (12th)
2018/19 – National League (16th)
2017/18 – National League (15th)
2016/17 – League Two (23rd, Relegated)
2015/16 – League Two (16th)
As displayed by the above league finishes, their last successful promotion campaign was somewhat unexpected at the time. Finishing the season in fourth, the Monkey Hangers successfully saw off Bromley and Stockport County in tight affairs, before defeating Torquay United on penalties in the final, despite missing their opening two spotkicks.
Much like Aldershot, the club spent the majority of the 20th and early 21st century as a Football League club, while never managing to play higher than the third-tier. Their finest league finish came in 1956/57, finishing runners up in the Third Division North, just four points behind Derby County, who claimed the all-important solitary promotion spot. However, many will argue their closest shave with second-tier football came in 2004/05, where a sixth-place finish resulted in a play-off final berth. In a breathless encounter, Sheffield Wednesday denied the Durham-based side an historic promotion, beating them 4-2 in extra-time in front of a Millenium Stadium crowd of 59,808.
Hartlepool have reached the fourth round of the FA Cup on seven occasions, most recently in 2021/22, where victories against Wycombe, Lincoln and Blackpool (all competing in higher divisions at the time) earned them a tie against Crystal Palace, where they were eventually beaten 2-0 at Selhurst Park.
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Pre-season, incoming transfers and other news
At time of writing, Hartlepool have made 10 first team signings.
| Player | Pos. | Age | Arriving from… | Highest level played |
| Matty Daly | CAM | 24 | Harrogate Town | Premier League (Huddersfield) |
| Brad Walker | CDM | 29 | Tranmere Rovers | League One (Shrewsbury) |
| Jay Benn | RB | 23 | Lincoln City | League Two (Bradford) |
| Danny Johnson | CF | 32 | Walsall | SPL (Motherwell) |
| Maxim Kouogun | CB | 28 | Scunthorpe Utd. | National League (York) |
| Alex Reid | CF | 29 | Oldham Athletic | League Two (Stevenage) |
| Reiss McNally | CB | 24 | Kidderminster | National League (Kidderminster) |
| Jermaine Francis | RW | 23 | Barnet | National League (Braintree) |
| Cameron John (loan) | LB | 25 | York City | League One (Doncaster) |
| Besart Topalloj (loan) | LB | 24 | Bromley | League Two (Bromley) |
Some quietly impressive business from the Pool sees a wealth of professional experience come in, without sending the average age of the squad awry.
Their latest signing may stand out as the most exciting, as former Huddersfield Town playmaker Matty Daly joins the squad with, admittedly brief, Premier League experience.
Hartlepool’s current pre-season schedule, which has so far seen the side defeat a Rangers XI on home turf, is as follows:
Whitby 0-2 Hartlepool United (12/07)
Redcar Athletic 0-3 Hartlepool United (15/07)
Hartlepool United 3-2 Rangers B (20/07)
Hartlepool United vs Leeds United U21 (26/07)
Hartlepool United vs Middlesbrough U21 (30/07)
Hartlepool United vs South Shields (02/08)
After preparations conclude hosting sixth-tier South Shields, the Pools will begin their National League campaign in Somerset, with an away tie against Yeovil Town on Saturday, 9th August.
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When will Aldershot and Hartlepool play each other?
Following the release of the National League fixture list, the Shots are due to host Hartlepool United on Saturday, 20th September, while Tommy Widdrington’s men will travel to County Durham on the weekend of Saturday, 31st January.
Including the entire history of football in Aldershot, Hartlepool were an incredibly familiar foe in the 20th century, sharing 26 seasons in the Football League between 1959 and 1991.
In terms of the phoenix club, however, the sides first met in the FA Cup in December 2004, where a visiting Shots side was defeated 5-1 at Victoria Park.
With Aldershot Town’s five-year stint in League Two running directly in parallel with Hartlepool’s most recent third-tier foray, the pair would have to wait 13 years to contest another fixture, finally meeting in the National League in 2017-18. Since then, the sides have played a further 12 times against eachother…
Games played: 13
Aldershot wins: 4
Hartlepool wins: 8
Draws: 2
Aggregate score: 15-30
Record Shots victory: 2-0 (2017)
Record Hartlepool victory: 5-1 (2004)
The sides last met in February, where a then-relegation-threatened Shots emerged victorious in crucial and dramatic fashion. Thrice taking the lead, an own goal apiece made the score 1-1, before a Cameron Hargreaves goal was cancelled out by Emmanuel Deruvwe’s equaliser. With the game looking destined to end in a draw, Josh Barrett struck in the 94th minute to claim a vital three points, starting a period of season saving form for the Shots.
