Hartlepool United have confirmed the appointment of Craig Hignett as their new first-team manager. He returns to the club having worked as assistant manager to Colin Cooper a few years ago.
The 46-year-old makes his first step into management, having also held a coaching role with Middlesbrough in the past, where he also played for during his playing career.
Hignett will be in the dugout this weekend when Pools entertain Yeovil Town in Sky Bet League Two. Hignett was quickly installed as favourite for the post after Ronnie Moore was sacked earlier today. He almost took the job prior to Moore getting the job in the first place.
Chairman Gary Coxall felt it was important that the club acted quickly to appoint a new man, and it was a unanimous decision to appoint Hignett,
“It was essential that we moved quickly to get a new Manager in place.
“We immediately identified Craig as our number one target and we believe he has all the right qualities to help instil confidence back in to the players and help us move up the table.
“He has a wealth of experience in football and has been looking for an opportunity to move in to management so we’re delighted to give him that chance here at Victoria Park.”
Speaking for the first time since taking charge, Hignett says that it was an easy decision to return to ‘The Vic’ and is looking forward to starting his new role,
“After speaking with the Chairman late this afternoon and hearing his vision for the Club and what he wants in the future, I have bought in to all of that..
“It’s a blank canvas for me so I can come in and mould things the way I want them and for a first-time manager to be able to come in and do that is fantastic.
“The big thing for me was the project and what the Chairman wants to build and the foundations he wants to put in place – for me that was a big draw.
“I am clear in what I want, how I want to play and how I want to do things.
“I have enough experience now to know the job – even though I’ve never been a manager I have done everything but and had two spells as assistant that have gone well for me.
“I am ready to be a manager now; I have got my own ideas and I want to do it the way I want to do it, not the way someone else wants me to so I can’t wait to get started.”
Hignett is now in the process of arranging his management team with the League Two strugglers. It has been confirmed that Sam Collins has been assigned a new role with the Under-21 side.
