RONNIE MOORE, as he put it bluntly at the time, worked his backside off to keep Hartlepool United in the Football League.

That was in 2015 and two years later his work was undone as Pools crumbled out of the trapdoor and into the National League.

Moore was back at Victoria Park on Saturday, a rousing reception going his way before the game, watching Pools flounder to defeat against Wrexham.

Pools go to Chester tonight, where nothing less than victory will do. Otherwise they are involved in another relegation fight.

“It’s good to come back and show your face every now and then, let everyone know you are still alive,’’ quipped Moore, with almost 7,000 inside Victoria Park in Pools’ hour of need.

“We all know what the Vic is like when it’s full – it’s just a shame that it’s an occasion like this. I never ever felt when I was here that we would be in this situation and in such a short space of time.

“The support around the North-East and beyond for the club is superb – people out there are trying their best to keep this club afloat and we can only hope that someone comes in who knows what they are doing and they do it right.

“We stayed up in 2015, no-one gave us a chance. It was a great achievement to do it and then for 18 months later for the club to go down is sickening. The hardest thing in this division is getting back out of it.’’

“Look at the clubs down here who dropped out of the Football League and have either taken years to get back or never look like getting back.

“That day we stayed up was like winning promotion. I feel so sorry for supporters who have had to put up with so much.

Moore, who briefly managed Saturday’s opponents Eastleigh last season, was at Pools during the handover from IOR to JPNG, from Ken Hodcroft to Gary Coxall, from safe and secure to oblivion.

He said: “I wasn’t here last season, but I felt the pain. I felt it wasn’t right on the pitch, wasn’t right off the pitch. It wasn’t the right mix at all. I’m sat at home thinking ‘we fought like mad to keep us up and now it’s all been thrown away’.

“I worked with Gary Coxall – he was a character, but he didn’t make out he was a multi-millionaire that’s for sure.

“He was here and I honestly don’t know why he came into the club. Now it has to be put right. I worked under Ken Hodcroft and everyone moaned at Ken, but the club was ran in the right way under him.

“Bills were paid, you were never worried about your wages and you need someone like that now. But we need more to get the better players in and it’s not easy to pick the right players. ‘’

Few managers have as much experience as Moore, he is closing in on 1,000 games as a boss and is desperate to get back involved in the game. Experience counts a lot in lower league football, but is often overlooked: “I’ve got to get back in, I’ve been out of it too long now. I may nearly be 65, but I’m not finished yet.’’

And he added: “This division is brutal, there’s a lot of full-time teams,’’ he mused. “A club like Hartlepool shouldn’t be where they are at this level. I’m not blaming the manager, you have people there who recruit players and something it’s right.

“Hartlepool United 18th in the National League? It doesn’t make sense for me. We hope that there’s a takeover to happen and get it right.

“Look at Torquay, a long-time Football League club at the bottom of the National League – it can happen if you aren’t careful.

“Not only that, how about Stockport and others. It has to be the right one coming in for the right reasons to take this fantastic club where it belongs.’’

Pools have more injury concerns tonight, with Nicky Featherstone a doubt after hobbling off following a kick to the foot on Saturday. Michael Ledger is again likely to miss out with a groin injury and Rhys Oates is yet to recover from a dead leg.