AN improved performance, but again no joy for Hartlepool.

Following the weekend's humbling by Tamworth, there was more to their display, but still no reward.

In front of the first sub-3,500 crowd for a Football League game at Victoria Park since March 2002 when Bristol Rovers were beaten 2-0, Pool slumped to their third home reverse of the season.

Management for Martin Scott isn't working out like he planned as the crowd vented their anger at the boss on the final whistle.

In a flying start, Pool had four shots at goal in the opening two minutes. The closest they came when Eifion Williams saw his volley pushed out by Sedgefield-born keeper Aidan Davison.

Greg Halford stole a yard of space on Ritchie Humphreys, restored to left-back, and his shot cannoned off the defender towards goal and Dimi Konstantopoulos was alert enough to tip the ball over the bar.

Mark Tinkler saw a shot saved and Eifion Williams' deep cross had Davison backpedalling before the keeper went long to get two hands on a curling shot from Thomas Butler.

Pool's performance was a big improvement on Saturday as they passed the ball around crisply.

And when Colchester, with seven successive wins in all competitions, had Pool on the backfoot the tackles were flying in, with Tinkler biting hard in midfield.

But there was a blow for the home side on 35 minutes. Butler winced as he played the ball down the line for Chris Llewellyn and he soon hobbled off with a groin strain. Llewellyn dropped to the wing as Michael Proctor returned to the side from the bench.

Humphreys then fired the ball across goal and Williams slid the it into the side-netting.

But Halford showed his ability when he raced away down the right and found Chris Iwelumo who drifted his shot wide.

Then, at the start of the second period, Jamie Cureton turned a volley at Konstantopoulos and, in tricky conditions, comfortably grabbed it at the second attempt.

Dean McDonald went closer than anyone to scoring when he cracked the outside of the post with a ferocious shot on the turn from eight yards.

However, the second half started with far less fizz than the first and that favoured the visitors.

When Micky Barron, in the side for the first time this season after injuries galore, deflected a Mark Yeates cross, the ball spun high over and across Konstantopoulos but into the path of Cureton who diverted a half-volley into the net from an angle.

On the back of the Tamworth defeat, falling behind in the second half for the third successive home game was the last thing Pool needed.

Against both the non-Leaguers and Brentford Pool didn't have the ability to create chances and force an equaliser.

They had 30 minutes remaining to buck the trend last night and almost did when McDonald shot wide from 12 yards.

It surely should have arrived bang on 90 minutes, but Neill Collins' header was directed wide.

Hartlepool United 0 - 1 Colchester United

Read more about Hartlepool here.