Hartlepool United are delighted to welcome experienced defender Luke Waterfall to the Suit Direct Stadium on a permanent transfer from Grimsby Town.
The centre-back arrives from Grimsby alongside Otis Khan, who earlier today signed on loan at Pools until the end of the season.
During his impressive career, spanning over 15 years, Waterfall has twice captained National League sides to promotion into the Football League.
The 33-year-old led Lincoln City to the National League title in 2017 before playing an instrumental role in the Imps’ historic FA Cup run which included upsets over Ipswich, Brighton and Burnley.
In 2018, Waterfall lifted the EFL Trophy at Wembley with Lincoln before moving onto League One with Shrewsbury Town where he played over 50 games.
Waterfall joined Grimsby in August 2019 and was installed as club captain at Blundell Park. He scored a late winner in the 2022 National League play-off semi-final, before helping the Mariners win the play-off final and regain their place in League Two.
Last season, the defender played the full 90 minutes as Grimsby knocked Premier League side Southampton out of the FA Cup to reach the quarter-final of the competition for the second time in his career.
Waterfall, who has selected the number 42 shirt, will be eligible to make his Pools debut against York City on Saturday afternoon.
Upon signing for Pools, Waterfall stated:
"I'm buzzing to be here and I'm excited for the challenge ahead. For me, first and foremost, it's about gaining results. It's small margins but as soon as we get a few points on the board, we're looking up the table. Consistency is massive and hopefully we can make that happen."
Hartlepool United Head Coach, Kevin Phillips, commented:
"We're excited to bring Luke in - he'll be a big asset to us. He's a leader and he knows what it takes to win promotion out of this league. He wants to come here and do well so he's raring to go. It's a signing Joe Monks and the recruitment team have been working hard on over the last few weeks - they've identified several targets and now we're acting on them."