National League Hartlepool United have dispensed with the services of boss Darren Sarll. The 41-year-old has been dismissed after just 15 games in charge of United.
Hartlepool United’s Board can confirm that they have today parted company with Manager Darren Sarll.
Lennie Lawrence will take over manager duties in the interim supported by the existing football staff.
— Hartlepool United FC (@Official_HUFC) October 16, 2024
The north east club have placed former Middlesbrough boss Lennie Lawrence in charge of the team on a temporary basis.
Had a decent start after replacing Phillips

Sarll came in as Hartlepool in April, replacing former Sunderland forward Kevin Phillips, after the club failed to agree terms with the ex-England international.
Things seemed to be going well for the Pools at the start of the season, as they picked up seven points from a possible nine games in the National League. However, things have taken a turn for the worse lately.
The team’s form has dipped, with things coming to a head on Tuesday night as United suffered a 3-1 defeat against National League South team Brackley in the FA Cup. The loss was an embarrassing result.
Sarll left the club with a record of four wins, five draws and six defeats. One of the biggest issues during his reign was poor discipline, as the team had four red cards in their opening ten games of the campaign.
A scarcity of goals and a poor disciplinary record led to fans calling for the head coach’s dismissal. For some, the sacking came a few weeks too late.
The team currently sits in 16th place in the National League table. However, they are just five points adrift of the play-off spots, so there is still time left for the team to mount a challenge for the top seven spots in the fifth tier.
The play-off spots can’t be ruled out
United are only in their second campaign in the National League after suffering relegation from League Two in season 2022/23.
Last season, Hartlepool finished 12th place in the National League table. It was a disappointing campaign, as United have spent the majority of its history in the EFL.
In fact, Hartlepool had not played below the fourth tier in the modern era of football.
In reality, this season, as previously mentioned, a place in the play-off spots is not an impossible target for Hartlepool.
Maybe, with a new manager, United can return to the good early-season form and climb up the table in the next few months.
Will the club regret Kevin Phillips’s exit?
As we know, Sarll replaced Kevin Phillips as the club’s boss in April. When the former Sunderland star arrived as head coach on January 24th, 2024, the club was in 16th place in the table, just four points clear of the relegation zone.
It would have been absolutely devastating for United to suffer two straight relegations. Phillips did a solid job but only had a contract until the 27th of April.
Reportedly, the club offered him a two-year contract to stay beyond the 2023/24 season, only to withdraw the offer later on.
On his exit from the club, Phillips said, “I have thoroughly enjoyed working at Hartlepool United and with all the existing staff there”
The decision seemed a strange one and certainly wasn’t one that met with approval from the club’s fanbase. Phillips won seven of his 16 games in charge of United.
Many fans will be wondering what it might have been like if Phillips had remained in his position. Phillips joined another struggling National League team, AFC Fylde, on October 8th. The north west outfit is currently in the relegation zone.
It looks like he has an even bigger job on his hands than he ever had at Hartlepool. Judging by his performance with the Pools, he will have enough managerial acumen and time to steer them to safety.
The search is now on for a replacement

Sarll’s exit means that Hartlepool will now be scouring the managerial market for a new head coach. The pool of available head coaches of good enough quality is very small.
The likes of Matt Gray, Lee Cattermole, Pete Wild and Graham Coughlan are the favourites to be named the next Hartlepool United boss.
Hopefully, whoever is named as the next Pools boss will be a long-term appointment. The club has had no consistency, having had seven different head coaches since May 2022, which is an incredible number of coaches to have in such a short term.