THE f-word was on everyone's lips at Victoria Park on Saturday.

Neale Cooper, Chris Westwood, Micky Barron and Ritchie Humphreys were all quick to say it; 4,000 Hartlepool United supporters came out with the same and, despite the time of year, it wasn't festive.

Frustrating was the word of the day.

Colchester were down to ten men after only 128 seconds when Alan White was red-carded after bringing down Eifion Williams as the Pool striker skipped past the last defender. From then on, despite dominating possession, Pool huffed and puffed but couldn't break down the wall of orange built by the visitors.

Two rigid banks of four, one in defence, one in midfield and a goalkeeper who wouldn't be beaten meant that even though it's now 28 games since Pool lost at home, it was of little comfort to those who - as ever - were quick to express their dissatisfation.

For all their play and effort, that little bit extra needed to worm their way through a well-marshalled defence. It was pass, pass, pass, pass from Pool but few of the balls had the quality to penetrate Colchester.

"We're like an Italian tank - we keep going backwards" moaned one Mill House moaner and that was one of the more polite criticisms hurled from the seats.

Another point in the bag and Pool moved up two places to eighth. Sitting so high and comfortable at Christmas is beyond the expectations of many. Cooper was quick on Saturday to remind everyone of Chris Kamara's pre-season prediction when he wrote Pool off as relegation certainties.

"That was a very frustrating game for me,'' said Cooper. "Colchester are a well-organised team, the reports we had on them said that and when the player was sent-off it changes the way they play.

"They sat back more and tried to hit us more on the counter attack.

"We had a chance soon after the red card and I think if Eifion had put that one away then they would have had to open up more and it would have been so different. When he missed it I asked Martin Scott if it was going to be one of those days and you hope it isn't going to be.''

He added: "They sat back and we have to patient enough to break them down. The passing I felt, while we kept the ball moving all the time, wasn't good enough.

"I felt the full-backs had to get forward more and join in the attacks to leave Westy and Nelse to pick up the one striker.

"A couple of balls from the back were just hit long and we had to use the wider areas more. We used it more in the second-half, but still couldn't get through.''

Just two minutes, eight seconds in and White saw red.

He slid in to wipe out Williams and, with a goalscoring chance denied, referee Tony Leake flashed red.

White's watching family must have thought about heading back home to Darlington and finishing off their Christmas shopping after a wasted trip.

With one up front and a striker soon replaced by a defender, boss Phil Parkinson stated his ambitions.

He couldn't have expected it to have worked so well.

Pool had plenty of the ball, but lacked the drive to get behind the visiting trenches.

With Tinkler and Strachan looking to pick up and then play similar passes from deep, perhaps the introduction of Darrell Clarke to the middle could have sparked Pool.

His ability to make runs from midfield could have been the answer.

Williams took a slide-rule Humphreys pass, took a touch and rifled it low across Simon Brown, but wide of the far post.

Chris Shuker, who lost his first-half battle with ex-Chelsea defender Andy Myers but got the better of him in the second period, was pulled back in the box by Scott Fitzgerland but there was no penalty.

Joel Porter started the second period in full flight as he tore down the left and saw his cross cut out, a Shuker drive was acrobatically tipped over the bar, Micky Nelson's header looked goalbound and Paul Robinson headed wide.

Robinson's volley stung Brown's hands as he pushed it away, Jack Wilkinson took a touch in front of goal and somehow his shot from six yards was spooned over by a defender's touch, Williams missed his kick in front of goal then shot straight at Brown and Nelson headed wide.

There were enough chances, none converted.

And then in injury time, Craig Fagan broke down the left, beat Nelson and Pool needed Provett to save low to his right.

That's seven Division Two clean sheets at home for the keeper who turns 21 today.

Not that some of the crowd were in the mood to celebrate anything.

As they became more agitated and annoyed with each sideways ball - they had the temerity to boo as Nelson and Strachan exchanged passes to start one attack - they didn't hold back in letting it be known how they felt.

Season of goodwill? Don't believe a word of it.

Result: Hartlepool 0 Colchester United 0.

Read more about Hartlepool here.