Jordan Hugill admits the opportunity to return to Hartlepool United was one he simply could not turn down.

The Middlesbrough-born striker became Lee Clark’s first signing as Head Coach after agreeing a one-year deal at Victoria Park, with the Club holding an option to extend the agreement through to June 2028.

The move, which will be formally completed when the transfer window opens on 1 July, brings Hugill back to Pools more than a decade after his memorable loan spell in 2015, when four goals in eight appearances helped preserve the Club’s Football League status.

And for the 34-year-old, the decision to return was about far more than football.

“I’m absolutely buzzing,” Hugill said.

“It’s where I wanted to come. I wanted to be part of the project that’s going on and I wanted to come home. That’s why I’m here.

“I wanted to come home and spend the next few years with my kids watching me play football and enjoying that life experience together.”

Hugill arrives at Victoria Park with one of the most accomplished CVs in the National League.

After emerging through the non-league game, he established himself at Preston North End, scoring 30 goals in 114 appearances before earning a £10 million move to Premier League side West Ham United in 2018.

Spells with Middlesbrough, Queens Park Rangers, Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion, Cardiff City and Rotherham United followed, while he also played a key role in Norwich City’s Championship title-winning campaign in 2020/21.

Across his career, Hugill has made more than 450 senior appearances, scored 94 goals and amassed over 300 appearances in the Championship.

Despite that wealth of experience, he believes he still has plenty left to offer.

“I can offer a lot of leadership, experience and quality,” he said.

“I still feel as though I’ve got a hell of a lot to offer football, which is why I’m still playing.

“It’s not that I need to play football, I want to play football. This is something I’ve sought out and put myself forward for because I still want to do this.”

A key factor in the move was the opportunity to reunite with Head Coach Lee Clark, who worked alongside Hugill during his time at Rotherham United.

Although injury limited his involvement during Clark’s spell at the New York Stadium, the striker says a strong relationship quickly developed between the pair.

“When he came in, I was injured, but from the first second I wanted to get back and play for him,” Hugill explained.

“We were honest with each other more than anything and I think that created a good mutual respect.

“He was brilliant and when I saw he’d signed here as Head Coach, it was another big part of me wanting to come.”

For many Pools supporters, Hugill’s name will always be associated with one of the most dramatic moments in the Club’s recent history.

His winner against Exeter City helped spark the remarkable escape from relegation in 2015, creating memories that remain firmly etched into Hartlepool folklore.

“It couldn’t have gone much better, could it?” Hugill reflected.

“I’d been on loan at Tranmere before that and it didn’t really work out. I’d just come back from injury.

“Then I got the chance to come here, took it, and just hit the ground running.

“It was brilliant and the celebrations after the Exeter game were unbelievable.”

The striker also paid tribute to former Pools manager Ronnie Moore, who played a major role in helping him flourish during that loan spell.

“Ronnie just gave me the freedom to go and do my thing,” he said.

“There was no pressure on me to do well, it just kind of clicked.”

Hugill revealed that his connection with Hartlepool stretches back even further than that memorable spell in 2015.

“My first football experience as a teenager was actually at Hartlepool,” he said.

“I was on trial here.

“So for it to come full circle and end up back here towards the latter stages of my career, after where it all started, I can’t wait.”

Now, Hugill hopes his second spell at Victoria Park can help write another successful chapter in the Club’s history.