Nominated for League Two player of the month. Wouldn't have predicted that six months ago. Could potentially turn out to be our best left back since er...well best for a while.

Brackstone?

He has come on leaps and bounds in the last few months, amazing what a bit of proper training and guidance can do.

Good point Mr Mac, I think Brackstone is/was at Shildon!

tbf carroll started showing this form at beginning on the year at end of moore's reign. A lot of people could see there was something there and hadn't written him off like some of the idiots who attend the game and just have a scapegoat from the off.

Suppose it helps when you don't have a manager messing about with the team week in week out and if not, one who is slagging you off constantly to the media

I'd forgotten about him, he was nearly as good as our best ever left back Ian Clark.

I don't think we'll ever find a better left back than the best left back to ever wear the Hartlepool shirt ... Rob McKinnon

Come on it's a well known fact that the greatest left back, left wing, centre mid, striker at the club ever was Ritchie Humphreys.

Oh I don't know...... Brian Drysdale was the best left back I've seen play for Pools. I would say the top three nominees for the title of best left back to wear a Pools shirt ( bearing in mind I didn't see any prior to 1952) would be Drysdale, Mckinnon and Ray Thompson. How far are you going back, Mr Blue ?

I was only born in 83, started going to pools from circa 88ish.

There was a match-worn shirt of Elliot's on sale not so long ago. Can't understand for the life of me the lack of interest in it.

I enjoyed Carroll's interview on Tees recently. Proper Dubliner, played for the same junior teams there as Curtis Fleming and joked about people saying Curtis was his dad!

He also admitted that when Pools were losing under Ronnie Moore team spirit wasn't great and little cliques formed. I'd lay odds one of them was around Scott Fenwick!

Ha !!!!!

Id have bought it but a Tom Craddock shirt came up for sale instead.

Mellish shirts are impossible to come by. Hot property

Just wait after the game tonight and ask him for his shirt.

Mellish is in the 17? Higgy must rate him then.

I'm gonna wait till Mellish leaves then grab his shirt then.

Chuffed for him he strolls through games now.

Left Back in my time have 2 clear winners


1. Rob McKinnon once described on BBC TEES as being able to open a tin of corned beef with his left foot
2. Jimmy Shoulder - the best corner taker ever at Pools ask Kevin McMahon !

Would Paul Smith qualify as the third in a 5 man back line as a wing back?

I can't remember him playing wing back he was one of the best left wingers I've seen though in that half a season when we went from bottom in November to the play offs. But I mainly remember us playing 4-4-2.

Paul Cross was steady away who replaced McKinnon and Hugh Robertson is worth a mention even though I'm about as a good a defender!