Knee injury forces Boland to retire

Midfield player Willie Boland has been forced to retire from the game after failing to recover from a serious knee injury. He hasn't played for over a year after picking up the injury early last season, but he leaves the club and the game with the best wishes of Hartlepool fans for the job he did.

He was never a spectacular player, but one who worked tirelessly in midfield to win possession and then keep it.
He was the type of player loved by managers and team-mates for the hard work he did and the hard tackling he produced, but often not appreciated as much as he should have been by the fans.
However, Boland was appreciated by Pools supporters and he was badly missed for most of last season - he brought experience and ball-winning to the Pools midfield and was always there when he was needed.
There's little doubt that if he had been able to play regularly last season, Pools would not have flirted with danger as they did and he's just the kind of player they could have done with this season to help the newcomers blend together as a team.
The message from us is a simple one - thanks Willie, and all the best for the future.