Former Hartlepool United and Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Wilson reflects on the key factors behind the 2006-07 League Two promotion season

A slow start followed by a club record 23 match unbeaten run in League Two saw Pools clinch promotion under Wilson during the 2006-07 campaign.

After being relegated from League One the previous season, expectations were high for an immediate return to the third tier for Hartlepool following Wilson’s appointment.

The former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder and manager arrived at Pools in June 2006, a month after being sacked from MK Dons.

"It was done very quickly,” Wilson, now ‘semi retired’, told the Switch of Play podcast.

“Chris Turner [director of sport] phoned me he said, ‘you’ve gone there, it’s been tough down there,’ which it was because there was a lot of fury surrounding [MK Dons] as they were looking for credibility having switched from Wimbledon.

"He said they didn’t think it was fair what had happened to me and they asked me to come up here and have a chat, which I agreed to.”

Following an eventful pre-season tour in Holland, Pools started the campaign slowly with Wilson taking six games to pick up his first league win in charge.

"You can’t preempt how good a team is before the season starts,” the former Pools boss said.

“If you think on paper that this is a great team or this is a crap team before the season starts, it’ll end up being the opposite. You’ve got to go in with an open mind which I did and try to get the best out of the individuals you have.

"First game of the season we got beat at home [by Swindon Town] and I’m thinking have I picked the right team and has our team been challenged properly in pre-season?

“There was no consistency with our team selection. It was a win one, lose one, draw one type of start.

"I’m moving positions around, but once that started to settle down with a team that isn’t a massive squad, once that settled down it started to come together.

"The lads knew each other anyway and it was only a matter of time before the round peg went into the round hole. Before that, I’m thinking, could he play somewhere else? Let’s have a look at him there, or there.

"The lack of consistency at the start of the season was probably down to me tinkering too much.”

Following Pools' slow start to the season, Wilson made the bold decision to loan fan favourite Ritchie Humphreys to Port Vale.

After spending seven matches on loan at the League One side, Humphreys returned and went on to play 43 matches for Pools during the 2006-07 season. He would later become the club’s all time record appearance holder.

“I knew [Humphreys] was a crowd favourite so it was a tough decision [to loan him out],” Wilson admitted.

“I knew what he could do from my time with him at Sheffield Wednesday, I knew the type of player he was and how good a pro he was.

"I just didn’t think he was being challenged enough [in League Two]. He needed a refresh and I told him he was going out on loan to Port Vale and he was like ‘what’?

"He went out, played half a dozen or so games for Port Vale, came back and never missed a game for the rest of the season.

"He was rejuvenated when he came back in and I knew it would get a reaction because he's such a good pro. You’ve got to be prepared to make those tough decisions for the bigger picture and for the team.”

After 17 games – coincidentally the same number of games Pools have played so far this current season – Wilson’s side were languishing in the bottom half of the table with 20 points.

But a 2-1 comeback win at Accrington Stanley proved to be the turning point as it marked the start of a 23 match unbeaten run which helped secure promotion back to League One.

“The Accrington Stanley match was a turning point, that’s where the players set the standards to get back into the game and win it,” Wilson continued.

“After that we went on a 20 odd game unbeaten run. Had we lost that day, the season could have quite easily gone in the opposite direction.”

The unbeaten run saw several iconic games for Pools including the 3-3 comeback draw at Stockport County and the 3-0 win away to arch-rivals Darlington the following weekend.

“Like everything, it’s about consistency and the same players were playing together every week,” added the former Pools boss.

"The team didn’t really change unless it had to. There weren’t many times where I swapped a player just for the hell of it.

"The players had an understanding as a team and their positions, what was wanted, what was needed.

"If a player came in due to an injury of suspension, they knew exactly what was needed of them for the team. It’s down to consistency in the personnel and certainly in the player’s performances.”

Pools ended the season in second and were promoted back to League One at the first time of asking under Wilson’s stewardship.

Following a respectable 15th place finish back in the third tier, Wilson was dismissed the next season after a six game winless run.

Since his departure, things have largely been downhill for Pools as the club have been relegated to the National League and have achieved just one top half finish in the last 13 seasons.

But with Dave Challinor’s side currently sitting second in the National League table, there’s a real hope that Pools can go on to achieve promotion as Wilson’s side did 14 years ago.

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