Darrell Clarke will always be remembered by Pools fans as a whole-hearted midfielder with a strong desire to win and a keen eye for goal.

Now based on the South Coast and playing for Blue Square Premier outfit Salisbury City, Clarke still looks back fondly on his time at The Vic, and on one game in particular.

As Pools looked to put together an unlikely winning sequence to squeeze in to the League Two (then Division Two) play-offs, Swansea City arrived at Victoria Park looking to put the skids under Chris Turner's men.

And on that April afternoon of 2002, hat-trick hero Clarke was at the forefront of a 7-1 demolition that set Pools up for the charge towards the top seven, which was to end in heart-break at Cheltenham Town.

"It was an unbelievable game at a time when the team were playing really, really well," Clarke recalled

"We needed to win our last five games of the season and the whole of the team just buzzed that day.

"We played some excellent football on the day and I think they did equalise at one point but then we just battered them really."

It was one of the highlights of Clarke's career to celebrate a treble and it's a memory he still treasures to this day.

"It was massive, especially when looking back at your career - to score three goals in a match, especially as a midfielder, is something I'm very proud of. The match ball is still there above the fireplace at the family home in Mansfield.

"It is one of my personal highlights, along with the play offs and promotion from what were six mostly successful years at Hartlepool and they were all really enjoyable.

"I still speak to the boys quite often and the Hartlepool result is the first one I look for."

The arrival of a new daughter earlier in the year has ensured Clarke's home life is kept busy, but he's also taken on new responsibility in his football career.

As well as getting in amongst the goals in recent games for Salisbury, the 30-year-old has begun focussing on coaching and a route in to football management when the time comes to hang up his boots.

"I am doing come coaching at the moment. I have got a friend down here who has a Soccer Academy and, although I'm still full time, I have time to do coaching in my spare time.

"I also do the Portsmouth Under 7s and Under 8s on a Friday. I got involved with that and I'm really enjoying it. It's an important job because it is getting them into the football world and seeing if they are good enough to go into the academy here.

"I've got my Level 3 Coaching final assessment coming up and I am looking to get all of my badges so after football, that's what I am looking at.

"I would love to be a manager eventually. I enjoy coaching; I enjoy seeing players with smiles on their faces, similar to myself. I've still got a few years left in me yet to play but after that, I'll be looking to get into the coaching more."