2022–23 Hartlepool United F.C. season

The 2022–23 season was the 114th season of competitive association football and 91st season in the Football League played by Hartlepool United Football Club, a professional football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. Their 17th-place finish in 2021–22 meant it was their second successive season in EFL League Two. In addition to the league, they also competed in the FA Cup, the EFL Cup and the EFL Trophy. The 2022–23 season ran from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.

Paul Hartley was appointed as Hartlepool's manager ahead of the 2022–23 season and signed 17 new players. In September, he was sacked as manager after nine league matches. Hartley was replaced by Keith Curle the following day on an interim basis. Curle was given the role permanently in December before being sacked himself in February with the club in a precarious position. His replacement John Askey was not able to keep Hartlepool in the division. They were relegated back to the National League after finishing second bottom of the 24-team 2022–23 League Two. In the 2022–23 FA Cup, Hartlepool were eliminated in the third round, losing to Championship side Stoke City. They were relegated in the first round of the 2022–23 EFL Cup to Championship club Blackburn Rovers. Hartlepool were eliminated in the group stages of the 2022–23 EFL Trophy.

Background and pre-season
The 2022–23 season was Hartlepool's 91st season playing in the Football League. It was the club's second consecutive season in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system since Hartlepool won the 2021 National League play-off final. In the 2021–22 season, Hartlepool finished in 17th place, sixteen points clear of relegation. Simultaneously, Hartlepool managed to maintain two good cup runs. Hartlepool reached a joint record fourth round of the FA Cup after defeating Championship side Blackpool before losing 2–0 to Premier League side Crystal Palace. Hartlepool also reached the semi-finals of the EFL Trophy before losing a penalty-shootout to Rotherham United. However, following the Rotherham match, Hartlepool would go on a bad run of form. Hartlepool won one of eleven games, resulting in the sacking of Graeme Lee before the final match of the season. In June 2022, Cove Rangers manager Paul Hartley was appointed as his replacement with Gordon Young as his assistant.

The summer transfer window saw a significant turnover in the Hartlepool squad. New manager Paul Hartley signed 17 new players, many of whom had played in the lower Scottish divisions including: Euan Murray, Brody Paterson, Jake Hastie, Jack Hamilton, Mouhamed Niang, Reghan Tumilty and Kyle Letheren. On 2 July, Pools' pre-season fixture with St Mirren was cancelled with the club saying: "we felt that it was more beneficial to spend an uninterrupted week of training at Maiden Castle focusing on building the squad and integrating new players into the pre-season camp without the added fixture in Scotland".

In the FourFourTwo League Two preview, Hartlepool were predicted a 23rd-place finish, with writer Gabriel Sutton saying "Paul Hartley's Hartlepool have a Scottish-themed recruitment policy as they seek safety. The new man won two promotions in three years managing Cove Rangers, but whether his numerous imports from north of the border will thrive remains to be seen." Equally, The Guardian classified Hartlepool as relegation candidates. Writing in The Sportsman, Simon Lillicrap predicted a 17th-place finish for Hartlepool, adding that "losing two key men to teams in the same division is hardly ideal preparation for a new campaign, while a lack of squad depth meant they even had to cancel a pre-season friendly. But things have improved since then and Paul Hartley has brought in Jake Hastie and Jack Hamilton, which should be enough to keep them comfortably away from danger."

Pools announced their first pre-season friendly with Blackburn Rovers visiting Victoria Park on 20 July. A day later, the club announced their opening two matches for the pre-season schedule, against Billingham Synthonia and Marske United. A fixture with Lincoln City was revealed on 16 May. A sixth pre-season fixture, against Sunderland was confirmed on 8 June. Another addition to the pre-season schedule was confirmed a day later, against St Mirren.

Paul Hartley (July–September)
The 2022–23 campaign started with an away trip to Walsall. Hartley handed out eight debuts for the opening match, although he was only able to name six substitutes due to several injuries. Hartlepool would fall to a 4–0 defeat, their heaviest opening day defeat in 30 years.

On 18 September, after a 2–0 defeat to Sutton United, Hartley was relieved of his duties. Hartlepool had won none of their first nine League Two matches, leaving them 23rd in the table. The Northern Echo reported that the sacking was due to a combination of poor results and tensions between Hartley and other club staff.

Keith Curle (September–February)
On the same day as Hartley was sacked, Keith Curle was named as Hartlepool's interim manager. Hartlepool earned their first league win of the season at the 12th attempt, defeating Doncaster Rovers 2–1. This ended a winless streak of 21 league games dating back to March 2022 during the previous season. On 3 December, Curle signed a new contract until the end of the 2023–24 season. Later that day, Hartlepool would lose 5–0 at home to Stockport County, led by former Hartlepool boss Dave Challinor. On 22 February, Curle was sacked as Hartlepool manager following a late defeat to Newport County which had left Pools in 22nd-place by one point but having played four more matches than Crawley Town. Curle won eight out of 29 matches during his spell in charge.

John Askey (February–May)
On 23 February, former York City boss John Askey was named as Curle's replacement. Form under Askey improved, with Hartlepool remaining unbeaten in his opening eight fixtures. With Hartlepool remaining within touching distance of safety, Pools faced direct relegation rivals Crawley Town at home in the third last match of the season. A 2–0 home defeat left Hartlepool on the brink of relegation back to the National League. This relegation was confirmed in the following match, despite a 3–1 home victory against Barrow. Following this relegation, BBC Sport highlighted the high turnover of the first-team squad as a contributor to the relegation with 22 signings and 10 loan players added to the squad from June 2022 until February 2023. Hartlepool were relegated with the worst defence in the division, having conceded 78 goals during the League Two season.

Matches
On 23 June, the league fixtures were announced. Hartlepool's away fixture against Mansfield Town was moved from 1 October 2022 to 30 September 2022. Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, matches across the UK were postponed as a mark of respect. With Hartlepool due to play at home to Doncaster Rovers on 10 September 2022, the match was postponed and rearranged for 4 October 2022. Hartlepool's planned away fixture at Crawley Town for 10 December 2022 was rearranged for 9 December 2022 at 19:45 to avoid potential clashes with England matches during the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Hartlepool's planned away fixture for Bradford City on 18 March 2023 was moved forward from 15:00 to 13:00. Hartlepool's scheduled home fixture on 17 December 2022 at home to Newport County was postponed due to a frozen pitch. The match was subsequently rearranged for 21 February 2023. Due to the Coronation of Charles III and Camilla, all Football League final fixtures were moved. Therefore, League Two matches were moved to 8 May 2023 at 12:30 from 6 May 2023.

FA Cup
On 19 October 2022, Hartlepool were drawn away to National League side Solihull Moors. In the second round they faced Harrogate Town at home. A third round tie against Stoke City at home was next for the Pools.

EFL Cup
On 23 June 2022, Hartlepool were drawn away to Championship side Blackburn Rovers. On 29 June 2022, the final date was finalised for the Blackburn fixture.

EFL Trophy
On 23 June, the group stage draw was finalised.

Player details
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Goalscorers
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Awards

 * EFL League Two Player of the Month February 2023: Dan Kemp