Jan Ove Pedersen
"He was an international player who came to play in Division Three with the likes of me and he just stood out a mile. Quite simply, he was too good for us." (Micky Barron)
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Jan's The Man: Midfielder Jan Ove Pedersen was hugely popular during his loan spell at Victoria Park |
When we ran a vote on the Official Website to find out who Pools fans thought was the best-ever loan signing, we knew that Jan Ove Pedersen would be in with a shout.
In fact, the Norwegian midfielder was the runaway winner, amassing an impressive 41% of the total votes cast.
Yet the quietly-spoken star is modest about the high regard that Pools fans have for him and says he looks back on his time at Victoria Park with a smile.
"I have only good feelings about my short time with Hartlepool," he told us.
"I was only there for around three months but I enjoyed playing in Hartlepool, we had a good team at the time and I made a lot of good friends during my stay."
One such friend he made at The Vic was Club Captain Micky Barron who always picks out Pedersen as the best player he has played alongside at Pools.
"Micky's a good defender who always gives everything and does his best for the team," Pedersen commented.
"From what I remember he was always putting in hard tackles and was an important player for the team, not only on the field but off it too."
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Good Memories: Former star Jan Ove has only positive memories of his loan spell at Victoria Park |
Despite spending such a short time at The Vic, Pedersen's classy displays in the heart of Pools' midfield soon won him a place in the hearts of the supporters - something he says he'll never forget.
"The fans there were really good with me," he recalled. "They are very different from those in Norway or Austrian. The fans stand behind the goal and make a lot of noise but in Norway and Austria is it much quieter. The fans at Hartlepool were really good."
Pedersen signed for Pools in November 1997 and remained with the Club until the following February, playing during the winter break in the Norwegian League season.
He played twenty times for the Club, scoring three goals - including one against Darlington - but says he struggles to pick any one highlight from his time.
"Everything, the whole stay there was memorable. The people are so friendly and open and they give 100 percent in everything and I had a really good time in Hartlepool.
"Everything from my time there is positive; I don't have any bad memories at all."
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Director's Role: Pedersen finished his career with Austrian side SW Bregenz where he is Sports Director |
Pedersen, now 38, says he still keeps an eye out for Pools results when he can and shared the elation and disappointment of the 2005 Play-Off Final.
"I keep an eye on the Internet to see how they are doing. Things are looking better at the moment and hopefully that can continue.
"I saw that they got to the Play-Off Final and it was great that the Club got to play on such a grand stage and in that stadium."
These days, Pedersen works as Sports Director for Austrian outfit SW Bregenz, who currently play in the Western regional leagues having formerly competed in the Austrian Bundesliga.
"Two years ago we went down because of financial issues and we are now working to try and get back up again.
"I am also Head Coach for the Club and we are doing well at the moment. We went up last year and are top of the league now and we hope to get promotion again this season.
"I enjoy it a lot - my whole family is here and we are all enjoying things.
"It is an interesting job here, I get to work with everyone right from the Youth players at the Club and it means I learn a lot."
