Former Middlesbrough defender Matthew Bates joined Pools in the summer of 2014 as Colin Cooper looked to add quality and experience to a young squad. Bates won England caps at U18and U19 levels and had been tipped for big things earlier in his career, but a succession of serious knee injuries hampered his progress. He left Middlesbrough after spending the best part of a decade at the Riverside, and had short spells at Bristol City and Bradford.