“This season has, at best, been occasionally exciting – but always interesting and, at times, horrendous,’’ Ken Hodcroft.

Now the Hartlepool United chairman can also add “followed by an utterly memorable and historic finale” to his end of season review.

Pools had no right to remain in the Football League. Ten points adrift of the safety line in January, they somehow, under the effervescent managership of Ronnie Moore, achieved survival with one game to go.

It’s a majestic achievement by all involved during a season of, at times, absolute chaos.

THREE MANAGERS

Pools started hopes of real progress under Colin Cooper. While they stuttered at the end of last season and didn’t secure their status until the penultimate home game, Cooper surely had enough about him to make sure it wouldn’t happen again?

Meticulous to the last, Cooper’s summer work was disappointing. He freed Andy Monkhouse and Simon Walton, two regulars and two strong characters, but he had to replace their influence and he failed.

His background in the technical world of Academy football didn’t transfer to the blood and thunder of League Two.

By the time he left, with his positive reputation tainted, Pools had two wins from 11 and only scored five.

In came Paul Murray, a solid individual who earned respect as a player at Pools and was working as a coach at Oldham.

Hodcroft said Murray and Willie Donachie was a “dream team”, combining young and old. By the time they left, seven games and 42 days later, all they had was an FA Cup win over East Thurrock United.

Pools were bottom of the table from his first game in charge, and the FA Cup defeat to Blyth was not a surprise. Spirit was long gone, likewise the ability to actually win a game.

Pools biggest mistake was not giving Ronnie Moore the job when Cooper walked away.

He came in after watching Pools fold in familiar fashion at Burton. “They need someone to go and have a right pop at them - which I’m going to do and then we can get on and do the right things,’’ he said.

He started with two draws and two defeats before a first win, over a hapless Cheltenham side, left them still ten points short of safety.

Slowly he engineered an improvement and, while others were in free-fall, Pools could look up and aim for the stars. Well third bottom anyway.

Somehow, with a smile, a joke, a blast, a rollocking and a lot of honest work they got there.

TWO OWNERS

Pools were all set for a new era in December as Increased Oil Recovery were on their way, the club taken over by a new group.

The chairman was called Peter Harris, the consortium known as TMH – The Monkey Hangers.

Most businessmen and business are traceable, but knowledge on this mob was hard to come by.

Over Christmas things started to unfold internally and serious doubts about the future under Harris and Co were raised.

Hodcroft and IOR stalled on completing the deal, and to great expense and effort, remained in control.

The revelation that one individual in the background of the consortium had previously been jailed for two and a half years for his part in a staged robbery involving a trailer of mobile phones worth £1.6m should strike fear into every Pools fan.

And Hodcroft and chief executive Russ Green deserve respect for ensuring the club remains in safe hands.

They are still actively seeking investment and possibly new owners. Football League status makes it a lot more attractive.

LOAN SIGNINGS

Few managers in football have the contacts of Moore and how he’s utilised them. Six loanees arrived and all have played their part.

David Mirfin was the experienced head in the back four Moore recognised the need for. Mirfin’s nous and defensive ability stabilised the defence.

Ahead of him, Aaron Tshibola came in from Reading and has been a strong enforcer in midfield. His form tailed off recently, but how he impressed on Saturday when he looked back to his best. Half a season with Pools will have done his career the world of good.

But it’s up front where the loans have really worked. After standing back from the media storm over the possible recruitment of Ched Evans, Moore signed Rakish Bingham from Mansfield.

His willingness to chase and put defenders under pressure brought a simple but new dimension to the attack.

He was recalled by the Stags as their season crumbled, and hardly played on his return.

Marvin Morgan came in from Plymouth and he’s been omitted from the squad of late after offering little. However, the importance of his match-winning goal over Northampton should not be overlooked.

In came Ryan Bird, another who ran the channels and scored on his debut in the win over Wimbledon. Fresh and enthusiastic, he was also recalled by Cambridge after a solid month.

It looked like he would be badly missed, but Jordan Hugill was another hard-worker. And the one who scored the goal that kept Hartlepool United in the Football League.

Pools went to Morecambe on March 14 on the back of a last-minute home defeat to Burton. They were still cut adrift at the bottom, but this win put them six points short.

There was a real steely determination amongst the players following this win and there was no way they would go to Oxford three days later and lose. They knew time was running out to try and make a fist of the relegation battle. Talk counted for nothing.

So they also won away again – two victories and two clean sheets when they hadn’t won away since October and not enjoyed a shut-out on the road in 12 months.

They had belief and momentum. Reducing ticket prices for the back to back home games with Mansfield and Cambridge got the crowd on side, and it became 12 points from 12.

Pools had some luck during that run – two penalties and an own goal helping them home – but perhaps they were due some?

And then came a different pressure: to stay out of the bottom two. Genuine chances of victories were passed up at York (against ten men) and Newport (squandering a two-goal lead) as nerves kicked in.

The home game with Accrington was as edgy and tense as could be. A second-half improvement and Marlon Harewood’s equalising header kept them going.

Defeat at Luton was a low and Moore admitted he felt Pools had gone, blown their hopes of survival.

But Moore managed to inspire his squad to one last bash, one big performance and they delivered.

Never Say Die. Never has a phrase been more apt.