Former Leeds United and Swindon Town striker Billy Paynter has been named as captain of League Two side Hartlepool United after joining the club this summer, the club’s official website have confirmed.
The 31-year-old joined the club after being released by Carlisle United. Manager Ronnie Moore announced Paynter as the new captain during Sky Sports’ 92 Live programme yesterday, and Paynter admitted that it came as a surprise to him.
Speaking to the club’s website, Paynter said that “the manager has had a couple of captains over pre-season so to be told live on Sky Sports News that it was going to me came as a big surprise really”
“It’s definitely a role I will look forward to though; I’ve never been a captain before but to be honest you usually don’t need an armband because we need all the players to be captains.
“It just shows how quickly things can change in a year – I wasn’t playing football and I was out of favour but I’ve been given a fresh start here and a new lease of life and now this is a massive boost in confidence to be given the armband.
“It’s a real privilege and I will be very proud to lead the team out on Saturday – hopefully I will be able to have my kids walk out with me and share that moment.”
Paynter is an experienced striker having played for 10 clubs before signing for Hartlepool. His most successful spell was at Swindon Town where he made 131 appearances, scoring 50 and assisting 8. He then moved onto Leeds United where he managed just 28 games, scoring on 3 occasions. He has also featured for Port Vale and Doncaster Rovers, where he has a combined 187 appearances.
