Paul Hartley named Hartlepool United boss after taking Cove Rangers to Championship

Paul Hartley has been appointed manager of English League Two side Hartlepool United after guiding Cove Rangers to successive promotions.

The 45-year-old led the club into the second tier as champions at the end of the season just three years after reaching the SPFL pyramid.

He previously won promotion with both Alloa Athletic and Dundee and takes up the post at Victoria Park following the sacking of Graeme Lee last month.

Assistant Gordon Young will also leave the Balmoral Stadium to join Hartley at the club.

“Gordon and I are both very excited to be taking the job on at Hartlepool and I would like to thank the Chairman and Board for giving us this opportunity,” he told the club’s website.

“We have enjoyed our time at Cove Rangers immensely and are extremely proud of our achievements there but this is an opportunity that myself and Gordon couldn’t turn down.

“The club has truly incredible support from its fans and there is so much potential for this club to kick on.”

Hartley spent time with English sides Millwall and Bristol City as a player and lifted the Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup with Celtic and Hearts respectively.

He was also capped 25 times for the Scottish national side before retiring from the game in 2011.

Hartlepool finished 17th in last season’s League Two standings having earned promotion from the National League in 2021.

Hartley added: “I’m an ambitious manager and I would only move to a club that I believe can provide the platform for building a team that wins.

“As a manager I want the supporters to know that I am a driven and hard-working person and we will produce a team that as a minimum always works extremely hard and is totally committed.”