Hartlepool United's promotion-winning squad of 1991 is getting back together next week. Ahead of the reunion, Sports Editor Nick Loughlin went to Victoria Park to meet up with three key individuals who played their part in creating history.

ACHIEVMENTS for Hartlepool United were something of a rarity. While the last decade has brought two promotions and five play-off campaigns, the years between 1967 - the first time they moved up a division - and 1991 were bleak to say the least.

The 1970s and 1980s were more about survival than success.

And as the club entered the new decade, their Football League future was again looking decidedly shaky.

After Darlington had dropped into the Vauxhall Conference in 1989, their North-East neighbours were in serious danger of following them into the part-time abyss.

They had nine points from 18 games when Cyril Knowles was appointed in place of Bob Moncur in early December 1989. It was like a holiday camp, was the instant appraisal of the regimented Knowles.

By the end of the season they had raked in 55 points.

The next season they did leave division four, but not through the trapdoor, the went through the roof instead.

It was some turnaround.

The much-respected former Spurs left-back had already achieved success in the lower leagues with Darlington and Torquay. His no nonsense outlook was just what was needed when chairman Garry Gibson was seeking a new boss.

Yet the hub of the team was the same in both struggle and success. The same players who were being thumped week in, week out were transformed under Knowles.

The common denominator was simple: the squad had a togetherness that helped take them over the finishing line.

"Character is what they had - look now, Joe Allon, John MacPhail, Brian Honour, Micky Smith, they are all characters with something about them,'' said Alan Murray, who took charge of the squad after Knowles took ill during the season.

"These days you don't get that side of a player, they are moddy coddled and told they can't do this or that.''

MacPhail moved from starting the season in the Sunderland side in the top flight to a Pools debut at home to Rochdale in mid-September: "We had great players to play with - and the banter, craic in the dressing room was good. We all did it together, went out together as a team, the unity was great. Nights out and the like, team bonding was superb.''

Allon had arrived at the club from Swansea, making the return to the North-East from south Wales, where he moved from Newcastle.

He was, at first, in for some footballing culture shock.

"It wasn't so much the promotion season, but the seven months previous that shaped us,'' he admitted. "When I first came here amongst my first few games we lost 6-0 at home to Doncaster, 7-1 at York and 6-0 at Aldershot.

"I came from the No 9 shirt at Newcastle and promotion at Swansea to that - I wondered what was going on.

"Yet the same lads turned it around and a year later were celebrating promotion, which is testimony to the players and the spirit we had."

Allon was the darling of the Victoria Ground in 1991. He bagged a club record 35 goals in shooting the side to promotion, earning a move to Chelsea in the process.

"We highlight the fact that Cyril came and improved things. He was allowed to bring in players and they made a difference. 

"I think Bob Moncur was only allowed to bring me and Paul Dalton in, Cyril put together a good squad, people like Kevin Poole came in later - he is still playing now aged 48.

"But it wasn't about individuals, more so the group we were. From Alan and Pop Robson to Cyril at the top end, down to Stan Hillhouse who used to be on the door. Complimentary tickets were his domain - he was born in Beruit that fella!

"If you didn't have a ticket you weren't coming in, never mind bouncers on the door, we had Stan.

"There was the likes of Frankie Baggs and John Breward behind the scenes in the offices. They could sell sand to the Arabs. When I first game they gave me a sponsored car and told me I was the first person in the club's history to have one.

"So I got in the car park and it was a Nissan Micra - Arthur Daley wouldn't have sold it, it was that bad.

"But characters like that made it - like having to wash your own kit, when we went out we all did it together, no one was special or was allowed to think they were.''

And he added: "In the dressing room we had the likes of Brian Honour and Paul Baker who would bring you down to earth and if you got cheeky, Mick Smith would break your fingers.

"John MacPhail came down from Sunderland and his career was probably over when he arrived! But we got him back on track and he played such a big role in the team.

"But they all did a job - John Tinkler and Keith Nobbs didn't get a lot of glory, but were integral parts of the squad we had.

"We had a left back who went onto play for Scotland (Rob McKinnon) and that showed his class, when he linked up with Paul Dalton...

"Dalts came from Man United, got his career going and got great moves to Plymouth and Huddersfield.''

Allon and Baker fired the bullets up front, MacPhail and Smith did the ground work at the back with the most uncompromising of central defensive partnerships.

The rugged Scot had been part of Denis Smith's Sunderland success, but there was no way he was moving down the A19 for the ride.

"I started the season for Sunderland in the first division and when the idea came up to move to Hartlepool I wasn't just coming to play around and see out my career,'' he reflected.

"I wanted to do well, I wanted to win things with Hartlepool. Every club I'd been at, I'd been fortunate to do that and this was a great time.

"We trained and gave our all and played and gave our all, that's why we were so successful.

"There was a good blend, we would concede and always knew we would score goals throughout the team.

"I scored one against Doncaster, a late equaliser that kept our unbeaten run going towards the end of the season.

"I was up against big Billy Whitehurst, he got sent off and me and Billy didn't get on then. Other times we were best of pals, thank goodness. When he got sent off that night, he was fired up and I think he wanted a go at Alan Murray in the dug outs as he went off!''

Murray was chief executive, working behind the scenes when he was asked to take over in March 1991.

Knowles was diagnosed with a brain tumour that took his life on August 31 that year. He wasn't well enough to enjoy the success of promotion.

But Murray's style of management was the opposite to Knowles. And, in leading the side to a 14-game unbeaten run at the end of the season, it was a method which worked.

"Circumstances weren't great when I took over, but we produced an environment for them to enjoy themselves,'' recalled Murray. "There was a bit of a contrast between myself and Cyril and they enjoyed that extra bit of freedom I was able to give them. 

"My style was opposed to Cyril's and we got the benefit of that from one or two players who were matchwinners. The likes of Robbie McKinnon and Paul Dalton were players who liked an arm around them instead of a big stick.

"The run we had at the end was great, but I was calm on the last day. We relied on other results, but I felt the football gods were with us.''

And he recalled the game that gave everyone belief promotion could be achieved. Good Friday 1991, Stockport 1 Hartlepool 3.

"Winning at Stockport reinforced my belief and gave the players belief.,'' he admitted. "We went to a team that had been up there all season, defended like we did after being under the cosh all game.

"Then stuck at it, and Kevin Poole had a fantastic game. After that we could take anyone on.

"Signing Kevin made a difference, Brian Cox was a lovely fella but we felt it was an area that needed strengthening. I knew Kevin from Middlesbrough and he was a catalyst.''

Allon's goals, the record-breaking 35 of them, earned him a place in Pools' folklore to the extent he's still lauded today.

Now an events promoter and after-dinner speaker, just last week the esteem in which he is held was evident on Tyneside.

"I've a very soft spot for the town and supporters,'' he admitted. "I was at an event last weekend, a sportsman's dinner with Mike Tyson and there was a table full of Hartlepool supporters there.

"They sat there singing 'Joe, Joe, Joe Allon...' as Mike Tyson walks in the room. Quite what he thought of that I don't know, but it made me smile anyway.

"I'm sat a couple of seats along from the baddest man on the planet and they are singing my name, not his. Phenomenal.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the lads back together on the night, but also the supporters, who deserve every bit of success.

"Looking down the divisions and people come here to watch Hartlepool when they could go and watch another club, they come to support the town's club.''

The promotion reunion ,organised by Goffy Media, takes place on Tuursday night at the Rovers Quoit Club in Hartlepool. Tickets, priced at £15 including supper are available by calling 07990588424.