IT’S been a long wait for Craig Hignett, but now he’s ready. The new Hartlepool United manager is ready to make his mark at the club, ready for life as a manager and, more importantly, ready to lift Pools out of trouble.

Hignett takes his first managerial position with the club third bottom in League Two in a stuttering season.

But, armed with ideas, a fresh outlook and a determination to succeed, Hignett is confident of an upturn in fortunes.

Two stints as an assistant manager, first at Pools and then at Middlesbrough, prepared him for yesterday – his first day in charge of a football club.

He took training at the club’s Durham base yesterday morning, before his mid-afternoon press conference at Victoria Park.

Curtis Fleming will join him as his first-team coach from Monday. Before then, there’s tomorrow’s home game with Yeovil at Victoria Park to relish.

“We have to get away from where we are and I need to get my ideas across,’’ he said. “I did some of it this morning, but we will do a lot more work on Friday. I could have bombarded them with everything today, but there’s no point.

“We do it bit by bit and they will soon know. It might take three, four, five, six weeks but they will know what I want.

“I am well prepared because I’ve wanted a job like this for a long time, I know what to do and how I will do it.

“I have someone lined up to help me – he can’t work straight away as it has all come a bit too quick for him and he has commitments, but he should start Monday.’’

Hignett ended his playing career with two appearances for Pools under Danny Wilson in 2007, and after working at Middlesbrough's Academy he then started his coaching career under Colin Cooper at Victoria Park in 2013. He left in March 2014 for Boro, before departing eight months later.

Ronnie Moore was dumped after Tuesday’s poor home defeat by Stevenage. It didn’t take long for Hignett to be approached by chairman Gary Coxall and chief executive Russ Green.

Likewise, agreeing to take over was a swift process, done in a matter of hours.

“I’m so delighted to be given an opportunity here and I have to thank the chairman for having a bit of faith in me – he made it clear I was his number one and I have to repay his faith,’’ beamed Hignett.

“I first heard on Tuesday afternoon, about four o’clock asking if I would go in for a chat and I listened to the chairman and was really impressed with his ideas, his vision for the club, how he wanted to grow it. He wanted a clear identity – and it’s all I ever wanted to hear. It’s a perfect fit.’’

Hignett has long held ambitions to be a manager on his own, and has been close to an appointment, while being ignored by others.

The experience gained as an assistant ensured he was ready to step up when Coxall called.

"I don't think I could have done this job if I hadn't done those two roles first. It would have been too much,’’ he admitted.

"I have got close to jobs and looking back now if I had gotten them I would not have been ready.

"That first time here with Colin was a massive help, then to see how Aitor did things was also a real big help, I'll take bits of both of them and add my own twist.

"Looking back, doing those jobs has been a massive help.’’

Media work, coaching juniors and watching games has kept Hignett's hand in the game as he waited for an opportunity, the right one at that, to come along.

He admitted: “My phone had started going again, in football terms, after it has been quiet so people have been talking about me again. I had two successful jobs as an assistant and felt I was ready for the top job.

“You just need someone with a bit of bottle to say ‘give him a go’. People say he’s not experienced, so you go for experience – and that’s someone who has been there before, been sacked, had a chance.

“Why not give it to someone who quite clearly knows what he is doing, but has never managed before?

“Not everyone is cut out to be a football manager – I didn’t know I was cut out to be a football manager until I was an assistant. Then I saw what the manager had to put up with and I thought I could put up with that.

“Time will tell. Results go well and you are a favourite, not so well and it’s a tough life.’’

Pools have back to back home games to come, with Notts County visiting on Tuesday after Yeovil.

Hignett added: “We need results, football is a results business and I would not be sat here otherwise.

“The chairman said he is almost asking me to do two jobs – putting something in place, a structure for the club to move forward for the future.

“And the most important job is to get us away from where we are now, away from trouble and safe.’’