Craig Hignett has no regrets about timing of Hartlepool United reappointment with club set for mid-table National League finish

Hignett took over from Richard Money in January after he claimed he couldn’t do the job and stepped away from the club.

The current boss was linked with becoming manager when Matthew Bates was originally sacked in November but Hignett openly said he didn’t want the job.

He was previously Hartlepool manager in 2016 when he took over from Ronnie Moore but after a string of poor performances he was sacked in January 2017.

However, things are different this time round and Hignett feels the club is in a better place and he feels different about his chances this time.

“I just think it’s timing isn’t it, I think it was only right that Matty got the job, he done a fantastic job the end of last season, he done a fantastic job at the start," said Hignett.

“And then circumstances changed obviously Richard come in and the timing wasn’t right for me, I made it clear I didn’t want the job back then but speaking to Richard and speaking to the chairman about what happened to Richard I thought a bit differently about it.

“You know compared to the last time to this time it’s chalk and cheese really, the clubs in a much better place, financially stable, it’s been run really well and I’ve got every chance here of doing what I wanted to do the first time round.

“So, and It’s all about timing and you know the timing was right when I said yes this time and it wouldn’t have been right before that so and I’m delighted with what we’ve done for the first ten games.

“But that’s only the start to build something for next year to give everyone a little bit of hope that we can compete and we can have a good season.”