Former QPR defender Clint Hill spotted at Hartlepool United again as assistant manager appointment draws closer

Pools have been operating without an official assistant manager since Joe Parkinson left the club back in August.

Dave Challinor' s former Tranmere teammate Clint Hill has been working with Pools on an intermittent, unofficial basis since leaving his assistant manager position at Bristol Rovers at the start of the season.

The 42-year-old ex-QPR defender was also seen with Pools’ coaching team ahead of Tuesday night’s Papa John’s Trophy match against Morecambe at Victoria Park.

The club have not confirmed whether Hill will be Parkinson’s successor as assistant manager and Challinor is keeping coy over the appointment.

“We’ve got positions that need filling within the football club, assistant manager, physio and hopefully there will be news but we’re not in a massive rush,” said the Hartlepool boss.

“We’re in ongoing conversations and hopefully we can announce something soon but if not, we’ll look elsewhere. There are plenty of people who would love to be considered for what is available so making sure we get the right person is important.”

Speaking previously about Hill at Pools, Challinor told The Mail: "I’m good friends with Clint and whether anything happens, we’ll wait and see.”

As a newly promoted club looking to carry on the momentum built up from last season, Pools is a good place to be at according to Challinor – who has recently penned a new three year deal at Victoria Park.

“It’s a huge opportunity and I’ve been on the flip side of it trying to get into the Football League for the last 12 years as a manager,” he added.

"If you can skip all the hard work and a job pops up somewhere then you’d do everything you can to grab it.

"From the outside looking in, the club may have previously been a ‘ooh not sure about that’ type of club but the place is bouncing at the minute and you only need to turn up at a game to go ‘wow, what an exciting project to be involved in’.

"We’ve been pretty selective with who we’ve spoken to. The process will continue, we’ll get the right person in and it will have a big impact on what is already a strong group and strong management team.”

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