“Middlesbrough and Hartlepool have met only twice competitively, yet are 15 miles apart by road. Are there any lesser-spotted derbies involving two teams who are so close geographically?” asks Adrian Burns.
Middlesbrough and Hartlepool played each other in a two-legged Littlewoods (née League) Cup tie in 1986-87. A 1-1 draw at Victoria Park was followed by a 2-0 win for Boro at Ayresome Park, a match that included a cracking goal from future England winger and qualified solicitor Stuart Ripley. (Ten days earlier, Boro had played their first league game at Hartlepool’s ground due to Ayresome Park being padlocked, but that’s another story.) With Boro spending almost all of their life in tiers one and two of English football, and Hartlepool doing likewise in tiers three and four, they have never met in the league.
