Tuesday 16 December 2014 18:10, UK
TMH 2014 Limited have completed their takeover of Hartlepool United.
Former chairman Ken Hodcroft, whose company Increased Oil Recovery owned the majority share, agreed “with regret” to sell its holding on Tuesday after 17 years in charge of the club.
In a statement issued by TMH 2014, the company confirmed that Peter Harris has taken over as chairman with immediate effect with Hodcroft cutting all ties with the club, who are bottom of the Football League and without a manager.
In an effort to keep supporters fully informed with their intentions, TMH 2014 also included their immediate plans for the troubled club in brief.
“The main and immediate emphasis has to be ensuring the club maintain Football League status and the owners will provide as much support to the manager as possible to give the club the best chance of succeeding,” the statement read.
“By the end of this week we anticipate having a manager who we consider will be best-placed to succeed in maintaining the league position and then progressing the club forward next season and beyond.
“Engagement with local supporter groups and the local authority so that all parties can work together to the benefit of the club and the town is also a priority, and Russ Green has been retained as chief executive, and will be part of the battle to make sure the club remain in the league.”
New chairman Peter Harris said: “We see this as an opportunity to build and enhance the reputation of the club. Our first aim is to bring a new manager in and then set about backing him to secure league status.
“I want to make it clear though that we will seek to fully embrace and acknowledge the efforts of the supporters and we want them to engage with us with the aim of always doing what is best for Hartlepool United. I will provide a more detailed statement in the next matchday programme.”
IOR’s own statement said: “We wish the new owners every success and would like to thank all of the staff at the club for giving us 100% support over the years, which has been appreciated more than words can say. We wish them and the team every success for the future.”
