Lee Clark resigned as Hartlepool United head coach with immediate effect following their 3-1 home defeat by Worthing. The loss marked a third consecutive defeat and a sixth in seven matches, dropping Hartlepool to 18th in the National League before afternoon kick-offs. Clark had taken over at Victoria Park in the summer after a brief stint with Rotherham United at the end of the previous season.

During Saturday's game, fans called for his dismissal as the team's slump persisted. Clark, a former Newcastle, Sunderland and Fulham player, told BBC Radio Tees: "I resign from my position with immediate effect. I wanted to give this club and the fans something to be proud of, what they deserve, but I haven't been able to do that unfortunately." He added that he had been excited to take the job and aimed to restore the club to where it belonged, but it had not worked out.

Hartlepool were taken over in January by American businessman Landon Smith as the County Durham club seeks to end their four-year stay in the National League. The club now begins its search for a ninth permanent manager or head coach during this period outside the English Football League.