H'Angus
H'Angus the Monkey is the official mascot of
Hartlepool United F.C.. The name "H'Angus" is a pun of the word hang, which is derived from the
monkey hanger legend of Hartlepool. The mascot made his debut on
October 31,
1999 during Hartlepool's first round F.A. Cup victory over
Millwall.
Controversial Behaviour
The first person to "play" H'Angus was
Stuart Drummond, who was a friend of some of the local Hartlepool media. Stuart Drummond became the most popular version of H'Angus with his outrageous antics. During an away against
Scunthorpe on
November 4,
2001, H'Angus was famously thrown out for the first time in his career. A steward took offence to H'Angus standing up and leading the Hartlepool fans into song. H'Angus once again angered the stewards when he simulated sex on a female steward and he was promptly escorted away in front of a bemused set of away supporters.
Stuart Drummond caused even more controversy during the first leg of Hartlepool's play-off match away to
Blackpool on
May 13,
2001, after he played with an inflated doll. H'Angus was once again escorted off by police but was released without charge. A police spokesman later claimed that H'Angus had been "drunk" [
1].
Election For Mayor
However more controversy was still to come. Stuart Drummond approached Hartlepool chairman Ken Hodcroft with an idea for some publicity and asked him to fund the £500 deposit that would allow him to stand for election. Ken Hodcroft accepted the proposal but wanted the club to stay out of politics so forced Stuart Drummond to make the agenda his own and separate from the club. H'Angus then famously ran for mayor and campaigned for "free
bananas" for all schoolchildren and campaigned at matches, much to the bemusement of opposition fans. H'Angus also campaigned locally and away from the football pitch. On
May 2,
2002 H'Angus under the name of Stuart Drummond became the first
directly-elected mayor of Hartlepool. Stuart Drummond immediately decided to concentrate on politics and ceased being H'Angus and is quoted as saying, "I am Stuart Drummond, I am the Mayor of Hartlepool, not the monkey."
The departure of Stuart Drummond forced Hartlepool to hold auditions for a new person to take over the role of H'Angus. Dozens of fans applied for the auditions and they were cut down to six. The final six auditionees then had to wear the famous costume and perform for a half during Hartlepool's pre-season friendlies. Student Ceri Anderson was deemed the "most monkey-like" and won the job as H'Angus. She had applied for the job after being encouraged by her 7-year-old son, Ralf. However, Ceri Anderson refused to enter the world of politics and is quoted as saying, "I came into the job because I'm a Hartlepool fan, not because I'm looking to start a career in politics."
