# 1965–66 Hartlepools United F.C. season

During the 1965–66 English football season, Hartlepools United competed in the Division Four, the FA Cup and the League Cup.

## Season summary

The club was a perennial struggler and had repeatedly had to apply for re-election to the Football League, having finished in the bottom two of the Fourth Division five times in the past six seasons. After sacking Geoff Twentyman, the Board appointed the 30-year-old Brian Clough in October 1965 to his first managerial role. He accepted the job and immediately asked former Middlesbrough goalkeeper Peter Taylor (then managing non-League Burton Albion) to join him as his assistant. Also, Clough offered the trainer spot to Jimmy Gordon a former Middlesbrough assistant during his player stage in that team, however, Gordon rejected the offer and continued to work with Blackburn Rovers as its club trainer. Teenage midfielder John McGovern joined the club after Taylor scouted him at Central Park.

## Squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | GK | WAL | Kenny Simpkins |
| — | GK | ENG | Les Green |
| — | GK | ENG | John Small |
| — | DF | ENG | Brian Drysdale |
| — | DF | ENG | Eric Harrison |
| — | DF | ENG | Stan Storton |
| — | DF | SCO | Brian Grant |
| — | DF | ENG | Johnny Gill |
| — | DF | NIR | Billy Marshall |
| — | DF | WAL | Alan Fox |
| — | DF | ENG | Tony Parry |
| — | DF | SCO | Bobby McLeod |
| — | MF | ENG | Barry Ashworth |
| No. | Pos. | Nation | Player |
| — | MF | ENG | Cliff Wright |
| — | MF | IRL | Amby Fogarty |
| — | MF | SCO | Jimmy Cooper |
| — | MF | SCO | Willie Bradley |
| — | MF | ENG | John Bates |
| — | MF | ENG | Bobby Brass |
| — | MF | SCO | Hughie Hamilton |
| — | MF | SCO | John McGovern |
| — | FW | ENG | Jimmy Mulvaney |
| — | FW | ENG | Ernie Phythian |
| — | FW | ENG | Peter Thompson |
| — | FW | SCO | Willie McPheat |
| — | FW | ENG | Ally Murray |
| — | FW | ENG | Joe Livingstone |

### Transfers

In :
| Pos. | Name | from |
| FW | Jimmy Mulvaney | Whitby Town |
| DF | Bobby McLeod | Sunderland |
| DF | Brian Drysdale | Lincoln City |
| GK | Les Green | Burton Albion |
| DF | Tony Parry | Burton Albion |
| FW | Ernie Phythian | Wrexham A.F.C. |
Out :
| Pos. | Name | To |
| MF | Neville Bannister | Rochdale F.C. |
| FW | Bobby Entwistle | |
| FW | Terry Francis | Consett F.C. |
| MF | Bobby Morrell | Thornley Colliery Welfare |

#### Winter

In :
| Pos. | Name | from |
| DF | Johnny Gill | Mansfield Town |
| DF | Brian Grant | Nottingham Forest |
| FW | Joe Livingstone | Carlisle United |
Out :
| Pos. | Name | To |
| MF | Jimmy Cooper | Addington F.C. |
| DF | Alan Fox | Bradford City |
| MF | Billy Marshall | Horden Colliery Welfare |

## Results
### Division Four
#### League table

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | HW | HD | HL | HGF | HGA | AW | AD | AL | AGF | AGA | GAv | Pts |
| 16 | Barnsley | 46 | 11 | 6 | 6 | 43 | 24 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 31 | 54 | 0.949 | 40 |
| 17 | Aldershot | 46 | 12 | 6 | 5 | 47 | 27 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 28 | 57 | 0.893 | 40 |
| 18 | Hartlepools United | 46 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 44 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 16 | 19 | 53 | 0.840 | 40 |
| 19 | Port Vale | 46 | 12 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 10 | 41 | 0.814 | 39 |
| 20 | Chesterfield | 46 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 37 | 35 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 25 | 43 | 0.795 | 39 |

#### Results by round

| Round | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 |
| Ground | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | H | A | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | H | H | A |
| Result | W | L | D | L | L | W | W | L | L | L | D | L | L | W | W | L | L | L | L | D | D | L | W | D | L | W | L | W | W | L | L | D | W | L | W | W | W | L | L | W | L | L | W | W | D | D |
| Position | 7 | 14 | 15 | 17 | 23 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 20 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 23 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 23 | 22 | 22 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 21 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 22 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 20 | 21 | 18 | 19 | 22 | 20 | 18 | 18 | 18 |

#### Matches

* .- Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/hartlepool-united/tab/matches/season/1966/

### League Cup
#### Round one
#### Round Two
## Statistics
### Squad statistics

| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Total | Football League Division Four | Football League Division Four | FA Cup | FA Cup | Football League Cup | Football League Cup |
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals |
| | GK | WAL | Kenny Simpkins | 30 | -52 | 25 | -44 | 3 | -4 | 2 | -4 |
| | DF | ENG | Eric Harrison | 43 | 1 | 38 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Stan Storton | 31 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Brian Grant | 23 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Brian Drysdale | 38 | 0 | 34+1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Barry Ashworth | 38 | 3 | 34 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Cliff Wright | 43 | 13 | 38+1 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | MF | IRL | Amby Fogarty | 44 | 5 | 39 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Jimmy Mulvaney | 26 | 12 | 22+1 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| | FW | ENG | Ernie Phythian | 51 | 17 | 46 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Peter Thompson | 33 | 11 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | Les Green | 19 | -29 | 19 | -29 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Johnny Gill | 20 | 1 | 20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | Jimmy Cooper | 22 | 2 | 19 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| | MF | ENG | Willie Bradley | 19 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| | DF | NIR | Billy Marshall | 16 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | FW | SCO | Willie McPheat | 17 | 4 | 13+2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | WAL | Alan Fox | 15 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | John Bates | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Bobby Brass | 13 | 1 | 10+1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Tony Parry | 8 | 1 | 7+1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | ENG | Hughie Hamilton | 4 | 0 | 3+1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | GK | ENG | John Small | 2 | -2 | 2 | -2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Joe Livingstone | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | MF | SCO | John McGovern | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | DF | ENG | Bobby McLeod | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| | FW | ENG | Ally Murray | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
* Source: https://www.11v11.com/teams/hartlepool-united/tab/players/season/1966/