HARTLEPOOL UNITED have been busy signing new players of late, busier than they have been in a number of years; ironic that they have now been taken over by a business specialising in recruitment.

While Ronnie Moore has landed six signings - with the promise of more to come – Pools are now under new ownership after JPNG yesterday formally took control of the club.

After the ill-fated planned sale of the club to TMH 2014 didn’t happen at the turn of the year, Pools have been actively seeking new investment.

This move with JPNG has been on the cards for months. Once bitten, twice shy and all that, this was much further down the line when announced on Friday evening than the one with TMH ever was.

While Pools were able to put the block on the December buyout, this time there is no going back.

Ken Hodcroft has stood down as chairman, Increased Oil Recovery have left the building after almost 20 years of ownership.

When The Northern Echo revealed the TMH deal wasn’t happening at end of January, the club was in a state of flux on and off the pitch.

They were bottom of the table and seven points from safety. Relegation beckoned. Bleak wasn't the word.

Behind the scenes there was a fear of what was to come, and Hodcroft – quietly, efficiently and to great personal expense – ensured he remained in control and kept Peter Harris and Co out.

It was the correct decision and, despite the mockers and those who lost faith in his chairmanship, Hodcroft deserves immense credit for saving the club and keeping things going, backing the manager so that they were even able to contemplate survival let alone achieve it.

That Pools then went onto engineer the most dramatic and emotional endings to a season possible adds plenty to Hodcroft’s business acumen and reputation.

JPNG have long been in talks and attended matches, and a Football League club is a far more attractive proposition than a non-league one.

Since they took over in September 1997, it’s been some tenure under IOR. They brought professionalism, stability, investment, success, landed in Jan-Ove Pedersen one of the finest players ever seen in a blue and white shirt. They paid bills on time, ensured the tax man and bailiffs didn’t have to keep a keen eye on the club and changed the history of the club.

Gone was the poor image built up over the previous decades.

But in recent years it’s been a struggle. The investment dried up, the firm and well-worn links to Norway disappeared, in the last three seasons Pools have dropped from League One to League Two and then had two scrapes with relegation to the Conference.

At the time of the TMH talks, chief executive Russ Green said: “IOR have been here 17 years and they’ve invested heavily in the club for those 17 years. But the oil industry is not what it was, and, it sounds silly, but we’re affected by that. Oil prices have dropped big-style.

“IOR have been brilliant and saved the club, but after 17 years we’ve come to a crossroads. That’s a long time to be at the club.’’

But if it wasn’t for IOR, there’s every chance Pools would have tumbled into non league a long time ago.

Look at the clubs who have dropped through the trapdoor since IOR took over: Darlington, Stockport, Halifax, Carlisle, York, Mansfield, Torquay, Wrexham, Scarborough, Tranmere, Bristol Rovers, Lincoln, Chester.

All long-established opposition, all lower league teams who plummeted. It makes Pools recent history all the more remarkable.

And, with Pools somehow surviving last season, can the new owners carry on the feel-good factor and momentum generated by the Great Escape?

JPNG have been in talks with Hartlepool Borough Council in recent weeks behind the scenes. The propose sale / handover of Victoria Park to Hodcroft and Hartlepool United was a major sticking point and led to a breakdown in relationship between the parties.

It is hoped the Mill House Masterplan development can be reignited. It is for the good of the town and the football club.

A successful team brings life to the town, as proved at the end of last season.

Now it’s over to Gary Coxall and Co to ensure the drama of last season, for all it’s sheer joy in beating Exeter on April 27, is not repeated and Pools can think about celebrating real success at the other end of the table.