FORMER Hartlepool United boss Chris Turner has quickly emerged as the front-runner for a shock return at Victoria Park as Neale Cooper's successor.

Cooper's near two-year reign as Pool chief came to an abrupt and surprising end yesterday when the club announced he had left 'by mutual consent'.

The timing could not have come at a worse time, with United just three days away from their biggest game of the season when they make the long trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.

Pool need a point at Dean Court to book a place in the League One play-offs and defeat would see the Cherries leapfrog their counterparts and claim sixth spot.

Cooper's assistant, Martin Scott, has been placed in temporary charge and chairman Ken Hodcroft will be hoping that continuity can help Pool forget about the off-field problems and secure the result that would clinch a play-off place for the second successive season.

Then Hodcroft will be on the look-out for a permanent replacement and Turner, who still enjoys a good relationship with the Pool supremo, is thought to be high on his list of targets.

Turner is still worshipped by sections of the Victoria Park faithful for transforming Pool from a side threatened with relegation to the Conference into a team which was well equipped for a title challenge in the bottom tier of the Football League, after taking over in 1999.

There are those less keen to see him return after he turned his back on the club in November 2002 to take over at boyhood heroes Sheffield Wednesday, where he failed to revive their ailing fortunes and was sacked this season.

Turner is now in charge at Stockport County, condemned to relegation from League One, but could be tempted by a return to the club where he made a name for himself in management with assistant Colin West.

The indications are that Pool are looking for a quick replacement and a statement last night seemed to suggest they have their man in mind.

It read: "(The club) is not requesting managerial applications at this stage of the season and any applications will be rejected until further notice."

Newcastle coach Peter Beardsley, a former player at Pool, is also believed to be interested in taking over, as is the former assistant manager at St James' Park John Carver.

But Scott has the first opportunity to stake a claim for the job by guiding Pool to the play-offs and on to the Championship for the first time in the club's history.

Speculation has raged over Cooper's future at Victoria Park for months and he has been heavily linked with a move back home to Scotland.

He was tipped to take over at Dundee United earlier this season, but most recently he has been strongly linked with a move to former club Dunfermline Athletic. Cooper was a fans' favourite at East End Park between 1991 to 1996.

Pars' chairman John Yorkston yesterday initially distanced himself from speculation linking Cooper with the vacant post, but later admitted he would be interested in the former player.

Yorkston is now expected to approach him at the end of the SPL season.

He said: "All I would say is if I was drawing up a list of five or six candidates in my mind he would probably be on it.

"On the other hand, the fact he was with another club probably would have disqualified him but it's honestly the first I've heard.

"I haven't spoken to anybody about this, never mind Neale. Neale is somebody I know and I like him but why he would do it at this time and leave Hartlepool, I don't know."

Cooper was understood to be unhappy with the terms of his Hartlepool contract, considering the amount of success he has brought to the club in such a short time.

But with the Pars under orders from Scottish Football Association to rip up their plastic pitch at the end of the season at a cost of £500,000, it is debatable what package they could offer Cooper.

Read more about Hartlepool here.