Craig Hignett named the new Hartlepool United manager

Moore was axed as manager on Wednesday afternoon but chairman Gary Coxall has moved quickly to bring Hignett back to the club.

The former Middlesbrough forward was the assistant manager under Colin Cooper but left to become Aitor Karanka's No 2 at Boro in 2014.

He is now back at Pools as manager and will take charge of his first game against Yeovil Town at The Vic on Saturday.

A club statement said: "The club is delighted to announce the appointment of Craig Hignett as the new First Team Manager.

"Following the departure of Ronnie Moore earlier on Wednesday, Chairman Gary Coxall felt it was crucial that the Club move quickly to appoint a successor."

Hignett is currently in the process of selecting his backroom staff.

Coxall said: "It was essential that we moved quickly to get a new Manager in place.

"We immediately identified Craig as our number one target and we believe he has all the right qualities to help instil confidence back in to the players and help us move up the table.

"He has a wealth of experience in football and has been looking for an opportunity to move in to management so we’re delighted to give him that chance here at Victoria Park."

Meanwhile, Pools have confirmed that former assistant manager Sam Collins will remain at the club.

But he has a new role, and he will be focused on the club’s Under-21 players and their "bid to bridge the gap from scholarship to first team football", added the statement.