Anthony Limbrick: new Hartlepool United head coach admits passionate fans and club's potential attracted him to Pools

Limbrick left his role working in Peterborough's academy earlier this month to take on the role at Pools.

The former Woking boss is widely expected to succeed veteran manager Lennie Lawrence at the end of the campaign and arrives with an interesting background in coaching and management.

The Australian-born 41-year-old worked in the academies of Southamton and West Ham, helped coach the England under-17s and has managed Woking, Welsh powerhouse The New Saints and Gibraltar's Manchester 62.

Limbrick has spoken in the past of his determination to manage in the Football League while long-suffering Pools fans are growing increasingly frustrated at their side's failure to return to the top four divisions.

Despite what felt like a strong summer of recruitment as well as outspoken former manager Darren Sarll's promise of a high press and a promotion push, Pools have struggled to get going so far this season.

Lowlights have included four red cards in their opening nine games while Dan Dodds made it five in 18 when he was sent off last week, a failure to score in almost seven hours of football at home, a succession of 0-0 draws and Sarll's infamous criticism of supporters.

Lennie Lawrence, who took on his first managerial role as caretaker boss at Plymouth before Limbrick was even born, has helped breathe new life into Pools, leading them to three draws and one win from five games since returning to the dugout.

The hope now is that the arrivals of Limbrick and new first team coach Gavin Skelton will provide Pools with a platform to achieve success - not just this season, but in the longer term future as well.

And Limbrick admits there were a host of things that drew him to the North East as he looks to have a hand in helping Pools return to the promised land of the Football League.

"From the outside, I've always seen Hartlepool as a big club," he told BBC Radio Tees Sport.

"I remember it being in the Football League and coaching teams against them in the Football League.

"I was Woking manager when they came back down to the National League and I saw the away following at Woking and then we came up here and lost 3-2 - we scored two late goals and it made us look a lot better than what we were.

"I always remember the fans, the passion and how much the people cared.

"There's a good squad at the moment - I think this is a team who can be and probably should be higher than where they are in the table at the moment. We should be challenging for those play-off spots.

"That's where the club wants to go, the club is ambitious.

"Put all that together and those are the big reasons why I've made the choice to come here."