Hartlepool United appoint Lee Clark as head coach after Featherstone departure | OneFootball

Hartlepool United have appointed former Sunderland and Newcastle United midfielder Lee Clark as first team head coach, with the 53-year-old confirmed on Thursday morning.

The National League club parted company with Nicky Featherstone at the end of the season and were recently taken over by American real estate developer Landon Smith.

Clark arrives after a brief and difficult stint at Rotherham United at the end of the 2025/26 campaign, winning one of nine games as the Millers were relegated from League One.

He said he is proud to lead a club with a strong identity, passionate supporters and a close bond with the town. After talks with Chris Maxwell and the chairman, he felt there was a clear desire to rebuild belief, which helped convince him to take the job.

Clark added that his focus is on assembling a side that mirrors the town’s energy, honesty and work ethic. He wants a team that competes with real intensity and plays with purpose, and that respects the responsibility of representing Hartlepool United, with standards central to daily work.

Born in Wallsend, Clark began at Newcastle United and made almost 200 senior appearances before moving to Sunderland in 1997, then Fulham, returning to Newcastle before retiring in 2006. His coaching career has taken in Huddersfield Town, Birmingham City, Blackpool, Kilmarnock, Bury and Blyth Spartans, plus spells with Al-Merrikh in Sudan either side of a short time in Oman with Al-Ittihad, before joining Rotherham in mid-March.

Source: Sunderland Echo