THERE WAS a danger that people had forgotton about Gordon Watson.

Listed as "retired" in the PFA footballer's factfile of 2000 on the back of a protracted court case after suffering a broken leg while playing for Bradford in 1997, he arrived at Hartlepool from Portsmouth reserves with the dual aim of getting his career back on track and kick-starting Pool's season.

But he's been given the chance of a fresh start at Pool and if his scoring performance in Saturday's draw with Kidderminster is anything to go by, it won't be long before people are again taking note of the 30-year-old.

Pool boss Chris Turner certainly is. His former Sheffield Wednesday teammate, whose last Football League appearance was almost two years ago for Bournemouth, brought a spark previously missing from the Pool front line this season as well as another thing conspicuous by its absence - a goal.

Pool fans had to wait almost 500 minutes since last celebrating a goal - Mark Tinkler's efort in the derby defeat by Darlington.

Not quite in the 1,227 minutes class - a record achieved by the Pool of 1992 - but still far too long.

Watson could have been celebrating a debut hat-trick as he linked up well with the recalled Anth Lormor, but instead had to settle for a single strike, his first since netting for Bradford against QPR in April 1999 and only the second from a Pool striker this season.

He's initially at Pool for a week, taking in tomorrow's trip to Lincoln and Saturday's encounter with Carlisle before both parties decide on his immediate future.

Watson is more than happy to be part of the open-ended arrangement as he is given a chance to get his playing days back on track and Turner is delighted with the impact made by his latest signing.

"It's pleasing to get so many chances. It doesn't worry me about missing them because it won't be long before they go in,'' he admitted. "I've got 90 minutes in and I will get better with more games.

"My strength is movement and in this division I should get boatloads of chances. I know I should have done better, but I still hit the target and scored."

Watson made no secret of the fact he might not be at Pool long-term. He still harbours ambitions of playing at a higher level.

Since his stint at Bournemouth,Watson has been building towards a Football League return and despite his lengthy spell out of professional action it was plain to see his fitness and ability were there.

"The team needs a goal and I need games. I'm doing Chris a favour and he's doing me one,'' he admitted. "I've trained for this for a year. I've never missed a day's training since then.

"Since the court case people say that I don't need to play, but the desire is there. I've got family at home and I want them to see daddy as a footballer. I am hungrier now than I ever have been.

"I'm up here until Sunday. We've got three games this week then we will see how it goes. I played for Bournemouth but I wasn't 100 per cent either physically or mentally. I thought I could play but I wasn't right and it was frustrating.

"I thought about giving the game up, but then I thought about what I still had to offer. I'm still as enthusiastic as ever. It was a relief not just because I scored, but because someone had scored.''

Watson revealed that he could have been at Victoria Park during the early days of Turner's stewardship.

"About 18 months ago Chris wanted me to come here, but I wasn't fit enough. He was just starting out as a manager and it wouldn't have been fair on him.''

After six goals in eight reserve games for Portsmouth this season, Watson was just 18 minutes into his real-time comeback when the chance came.

Mark Tinkler floated over a cross and instead of snatching at the chance or volleying into the Victoria Park car park, Watson sweetly steered the ball at goal and it went agonsingly wide.

Next he played a sweet one-two on the edge of the area only to flick the ball over the bar. With Lormor's diving header going wide, Pool had created three chances in 20 minutes - more than they managed in 90 against Cheltenham last Tuesday.

The goal arrived when Watson got in front of Tinkler and the Kidderminster defence to meet Anthony Ormeord's cross and nod past Stuart Brock.

Within a minute he flashed a volley just wide, but Pool were soon in need of another goal.

Ian Clarkson was given too much time to cross from the right and Mark Blake nodded in from six yards.

The perfect chance came on 76 minutes. Adie Smith was ruled to have handled in the area. Watson wanted the chance to make it two, Lormor likewise, but with Ian Clark on for Ormeord and on the back of his successful penalty at Shrewsbury on August 18, the substitute wasn't going to give up the chance to score.

After a bout of gamesmanship and stalling tactics from the visitors, he fired low to Brock's right and the keeper palmed the effort away.

After Tommy Widdrington squandered a penalty at Scunthorpe, Pool have lost out on at least three points this season from penalty failures

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