Grimsby Town duo Luke Waterfall and Otis Khan have left the club to join non-league outfit Hartlepool United, the club have officially confirmed.
The former Lincoln City defender Waterfall has been with the Mariners since 2019 and made 177 appearances for the club, whilst scoring the winning goal in a nine-goal thriller against Wrexham in the semi-final of the National League back in 2022.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, the 33-year-old mutually decided to end his deal at Blundell Park with Grimsby and has moved to Hartlepool, who have recently appointed Sunderland legend Kevin Phillips as head coach to permanently succeed former boss John Askey.
Speaking to club media, Waterfall admitted that he was delighted to sign for the Pools and even hinted that the side are looking to make a late push for the playoffs [quotes via Hartlepool Mail]:
“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,” he continued.
“Consistency is massive and hopefully we can make that happen.”
Furthermore, Phillips has made a double swoop at Grimsby and has also managed to secure the signing of Otis Khan on a short-term loan, who has been a squad player this season, having featured 15 times in all competitions, including merely five under David Artell. Unlike Waterfall, Khan will return at the end of the campaign once his loan deal at Victoria Park expires.
Writer’s View
This won’t be the biggest of losses for Grimsby Town. The duo were mere squad players this season, particularly during Artell’s spell in charge, and are perhaps better off going down a division to play regularly at Hartlepool.
For Phillips’ side, these are two excellent coups. Hartlepool will be signing two players who are more than capable of playing in League Two to help bolster their chances of clawing back seven points on Rochdale.
