that we will have the absolute privilege of having another Sir Harold Hornsey of Hartlepool as chairman of our club. He was (for those younger fans ) a very successful Hartlepool businessman who had a knack of turning anything he touched into gold. This man was not just a good businessman and lifelong supporter but also a workaholic who often worked 16 hour days 7 days a week. His only bad business decision was to buy our club at the wrong time for him and his family. But he had no choice because at that time nobody else was interested in a club that was being made almost bankrupt by a chairman called Gibson who had almost no money at all and very few assets but he was the very best bullshitter you could ever meet.He had a building company that was worth almost foookall but was a qualified accountant who was able to find ways to show he was worth millions on paper. Despite the many reservations of the two directors left in charge time was ticking and fans wanted a quick solution and Gibson and played his wild card and that was to simply produce a micky mouse large bank cheque promising £200.000 investment to save our club that was printed on the front page of the fail ( without checking into this conman ) this was enough to persuade those left in charge to throw the towel in to avoid fans backlash and the club was handed over without a single check into this stranger or his financial state. Gibson managed to bring survival followed by promotion and was a major success through clever bullshit and a lot of ambition and with real money would have been the best ever chairman at our club. But like anything you build without foundation it falls apart big style and nobody wanted anything to do with our totally foooked club mainly because Gibson wanted £100.000 grand to walk away despite the terrible financial state of the club. Gibson got away with his horrible blackmail only because Sir Harold Hornsey decided our club was worth saving no matter what the financial cost to him and his family but more he was disgusted that Gibson wanted to blackmail the club and the town. Harold took control sorted out all our problems and developed the ground. We had a club and a local supporter chairman that we trusted a man that put back the pride in our club and town. Things moved forward step by step and we made a little progress but Harold was never happy to just move a little he wanted real success and when approached by Hodcroft decided to sell to what he believed ( after seeing bank statements and he told me this) was a good company with lots of spare cash that would invest in his beloved club to make real steps forward. After the sale he remained at the club only because he insisted and wanted to keep a active role in our future. Despite terminal cancer he attended every single home game. To me he will always be Mr Chairman a very nice gentleman who had time for anyone and everyone and even when his hair was falling out and his face was sadly fading ( relevant because Harold was a very very proud man) he ALWAYS had time to be at home games helping to promote his and our beloved football club!! A truly genuine great great man of our town a man that without his intervention we probably would no longer exist never mind we might get relegated to non league. I hope one day that we the supporters could help to raise funds along with a REAL board and possibly have a statue of Sir Harold of Hartlepool put outside his and our stadium of dreams.

A true gent and legend who will never be forgotten by the older generation of poolies.

Great great post twilight.

I concur!!!!

I agree, either a statue or naming the stadium after him would be a fitting tribute.