GAVIN LEDWITH looks back to a famous night in the club's history.

September 12: Hartlepool United 8, Grimsby Town 1.

PAUL Robinson wasn't the first footballer to haunt a former club.

But few have done it as spectacularly as the Sunderland-born striker did when Grimsby Town visited Hartlepool United five years ago today.

Robinson, who had scored just once in 17 games while on loan at Town in 2002, hit a hat-trick as Pools demolished their opponents 8-1.

It was the club's biggest win for 44 years and continued an impressive start to life back in football's third division.

The man who had rejected Robinson, Grimsby player-manager Paul Groves, also started the rout by inadvertently heading into his own goal in the 19th minute.

Hartlepool's other goalscoring heroes were Gavin Strachan, Ritchie Humphreys, Marco Gabbiadini and Eifion Williams.

Robinson, whose promising career had nosedived since a £1m move from Darlington to Newcastle in 1998, had been given the chance to resurrect his fortunes that summer by new manager Neale Cooper.

The hat-trick hero said afterwards: "I wanted to come into the league and prove a lot of people wrong and just play football.

"It is all going well at the minute and long may it continue."

The result also made front as well as back page news the following day.

"Just gr-eight" was the Mail's headline beneath a picture of all five goalscorers.

The accompanying article concluded: "It is also Pools' biggest victory since their record-breaking 10-1 defeat of Barrow in the old Divsion Four in 1959."

Captain Micky Barron said afterwards: "Everyone must be thinking that we must be a good team now." It certainly was not beginners luck.

Pools continued as they had started and ended up in the semi-finals of the Division Two play-offs after finishing in their highest ever league position of sixth.

As for Robinson, the goals unfortunately soon dried up and his nomadic journey continued with spells at Torquay United and York City.

He eventually quit the professional game and was declared bankrupt last year.

WHAT are your memories of the Grimsby Town game? Write to Memory Lane, Hartlepool Mail, New Clarence House, Wesley Square, Hartlepool, TS24 8BX.

You can also email gavin.ledwith@northeast-press.co.uk.