Joe Gamble

With Willie Boland struggling to recover from long-term injury, director of sport Chris Turner took steps to add some steel to the midfield in the summer of 2009. His main target was Cork City`s former Republic of Ireland midfielder Colin Healy. The signing looked like going through until Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane made Healy a better offer at the eleventh hour. Having missed out on that signing, Pools struggled a little in midfield throughout the first half of the 2009/10 season. With Healy out of the first team picture at Portman Road rumours were rife that Turner woiuld rekindle his interest with a loan move. Instead he made a permanent signing, returning to Cork to sign Healy`s former teammate Joe Gamble. The experienced midfielder, also an former Ireland international, had spent a couple of seasons at Reading as a youngster and he jumped at the chance to have another crack at English football.

Things started well for Gamble at the club. He was an ever-present for the remainder of his first season, and began the 2010/11 season still in the first team. But as the season progressed he found it increasingly difficult to hold down a midfield place. The arrival of the experienced Paul Murray and the return of Gary Liddle to the midfield after a season at centre half had led to fierce competition for places, a fight that was made even tougher by Antony Sweeney recapturing the rich vein of goalscoring form that had deserted him in recent years. Gamble found himself out of the starting lineup more often than not between November and March. He did get a run of games at the end of the season but it wasn`t enough to secure a further contract , and he was released in May 2011.