National League club hires Lee Clark after exit from EFL club in U-turn

Hartlepool United have confirmed the appointment of Lee Clark as new head coach following the departure of Nicky Featherstone.

Former Pools midfielder Featherstone had succeeded Simon Grayson at the Victoria Park helm back in December.

However, after a review of the club’s football operations last month, it was confirmed that the 37-year-old would depart upon the culmination of the 2025-26 season.

And Hartlepool have since confirmed that Clark has taken over as head coach.

“Hartlepool United is pleased to confirm the appointment of Lee Clark as the Club’s new First Team Head Coach,” a statement read on the club’s official website.

“A highly experienced manager and former Premier League midfielder, Clark joins Hartlepool United with more than 15 years of managerial and coaching experience across the English Football League, Scottish Premiership, Middle East and Africa.”

On his appointment, Clark said: “I’m incredibly proud to be given the opportunity to lead this Football Club. Hartlepool United is a club with a strong identity, passionate supporters and a real connection with its town.

“My focus now is on building a team that reflects the energy, honesty and work ethic that people in this town expect to see every week.”

Clark returns to management a little over a week after he left his role as Rotherham boss.

The 53-year-old took over the Millers job back in March, but failed to agree a new deal with Rotherham following their relegation to League Two.

Clark indicated that he wanted to carry on as Millers boss even taking decisions on what players to release.

Speaking after their final game of the season, he said: “There have been conversations – a face-to-face conversation and two over the phone. It was indicated to me that I had to start making plans as the manager.

“I’ve done that with decisions on the retained list, the released list, the players we have options on and whether we’re going to take up those options et cetera. But, because there’s not been any progress, I’m not now the manager of the club.

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And Hartlepool’s appointment of Clark is something of a surprise after it looked as though they’d bring in former Middlesbrough and Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole as new boss.

talkSPORT understood that Cattermole was in the process of confirming his first-team coaching staff last week having agreed a deal with the National League side to succeed Featherstone.

However, the deal failed to progress with the Stags ultimately turning their attention Clark.

Clark’s primary objective will be to haul Hartlepool back into the EFL having finished ninth in the National League last season.

Hartlepool missed out on the 2025-26 playoff places by a whopping 13 points.

Reacting to the news, Hartlepool fan and talkSPORT Breakfast host Jeff Stelling wrote on X: “Welcome to @Official_HUFC Lee Clark. Took me by surprise but Lee has been a regular visitor for years and always wanted to have a go at managing our club.

“Now he has his shot, I know we are all going to back him and Poolie old boy Chris Beech. They’ll have our club at heart imo.”