Midfielder Simon Walton joined Pools in the summer of 2012 after four years at Plymouth Argyle. Originally on he books of his hometown club Leeds United, Walton had also spent brief periods at Charlton and QPR, and on loan at Ipswich, Cardiff and Hull, before moving to Plymouth in the summer of 2008. There followed a difficult period for Argyle. A Championship club when Walton joined, they suffered badly on and off the pitch, and were struggling near the foot of League Two when Pools stepped in to offer the midfielder a return to the north of England. Walton's first season in a Pools shirt was a difficult one. The team were relegated after spending virtually the whole campaign in the bottom two, while Walton himself struggled to win the affections of the terraces, from where he was often accused as lacking the necessary commitment to the cause. He did, however, play more often than not during that season, and the team's record with him in the side was certainly no worse than in his absence. The impressive form of teenager Brad Walker saw Walton being the 2013/14 season on the bench, but he soon established himself in the side and started most matches until his season was curtailed by suspension following a red card in the April home game against Morecambe. That dismissal proved to be Walton's last action in a Pools shirt, and he was released in the summer of 2014 as manager Colin Cooper looked to improve his squad following a disappointing league finish.