Pools left to regret missed chances

THE more things change, the more they stay the same so the proverb goes; and it’s certainly applicable to Hartlepool United.

Back in May they went to Bristol Rovers on the last day of the season and conceded after just two minutes.

On Saturday they went to Bristol Rovers and conceded after just two minutes.

Only four players who started in May began at the weekend, but Pools suffered their third loss in the space of a long and hard week. It was a chance to show they are made of far sterner stuff than last season. To a certain extent it was.

While this loss wasn’t like the horror show against MK Dons last weekend it was more akin to some of the performances Pools gave under Danny Wilson – dominant in possession, but let down by a failure to take their chances, as they finished with nothing.

Taking nothing is something they cannot contemplate for tomorrow’s home game with Gillingham.

“Of course conceding so early you remember last season, but there is only a couple of players who played in that 4-1 game last season,’’ said Chris Turner.

“When you are away from home and concede early sometimes you fear the worst but they showed their character and just got on with things and picked up the game and played well. If anybody who saw the MK Dons game thinks that’s the way that our team plays then they just don’t know anything about football.

“These lads put it all in 90 per cent of the time and give everything for the club, like I do. Sometimes things go against you on the field and as a manager in charge of the team there is nothing you can do about it.

“One particular day something changes and suddenly things go in the opposite direction.

If teams go out and reflect the manager, last Saturday I was so disappointed and disgusted.

“This Saturday, I know we’ve lost the fixture but I thought the way we played was superb. I will always associate myself with that performance we had this afternoon than the performance against MK Dons.’’ And he admitted: “At the moment the fans are having a go and that’s football – I understand their frustration.

“When you are in charge of the team it’s a results business, we know that, but I’m positive. I’ve got 100 per cent confidence in this squad still to do well this season.’’ Quite what doing well represents this season remains to be seen. To those looking on negatively, it is about avoiding relegation, to those within the camp it represents a top-ten finish. At the moment, four points off the drop zone and three off tenth spot, it could yet go either way.

On Saturday, a failure to pick up Chris Lines from a setpiece saw the midfielder power his header into the net.

But from then on, certainly until the second goal arrived on 66 minutes, it was one way passing traffic.

With Joe Gamble, head up, and roaming around with intent dictating the pace of the game and setting Pools off on countless attacks, the visitors dominated.

Andy Monkhouse wasted a fine chance to make it 1-1, shoving his shot badly wide from close range after being teed-up by the ever-willing Colin Larkin.

Larkin then smashed his effort into the side netting from an angle before rolling a low cross to a pack of home defenders at the near post when a cut back to Antony Sweeney was the best option. And there was still first-half time for Monkhouse, Gary Liddle and Sweeney to have efforts blocked, scrambled away in a game of six-yard box pinball.

Gamble, Denis Behan and Sweeney linked up before the latter’s shot was blocked.

And they paid the price when Darryl Duffy ran from behind the Pools defence and got in on goal, finishing with the sort of style that brought him success on loan at Pools in 2006. In injury time, Neil Austin’s measured free-kick was kept out by keeper Mikkel Andersen.

“I’m stunned,’’ said Turner.

“It was the best performance I’ve seen away from Hartlepool for a long, long time, even when we’ve won games.

“I’ve never been part of a game like it for a long, long time where you look at your team and you are proud at the way they played.

“I know the game is about results and it isn’t going for us at the moment but this afternoon we were absolutely superb.’’

Match facts

Goals:

1-0: Lines (2, free header from a right wing corner powered high into the net)

2-0: Duffy (66, broke through from deep to roll his finish across Flinders)

Bookings: Humphreys (38, foul); Liddle (44, foul); Anthony (86, foul); Monkhouse (unsporting behaviour, 86)

Referee: Gavin Ward (Sittingbourne): Booked Liddle for a perfect tackle, one of many completely wrong decisions throughout 3

Attendance: 5,794

Entertainment: ✰✰✰

BRISTOL ROVERS (4-4-2): Andersen 6; Regan 6, Coles 6, Anthony 6, Lescott 6; Wright 7 (Reece 82), Campbell 7, Lines 6, HUGHES 7 (Swallow 82); Williams 5 (Duffy 56, 7), Kuffour 6. Subs (not used): Evans (gk), Elliott, Clough, Richards.

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-4-2):

6 Flinders: A spectator for much of the game, and kept his concentration levels up;

7 Austin: Helped Larkin with plenty of attacking support on the right

7 Collins: Proved again how much he was missed seven days previously

6 Liddle: Once again back to being composed and relaxed in central defence

5 Haslam: Won’t offer much going forward, but gave little away defensively;

6 Larkin: Took the wrong option after getting into advanced positions on a couple of occasions, but used his pace to good affect at times

8 GAMBLE: Always in control of the game as he roamed around to mop up and keep Pools ticking

6 Humphreys: Enjoying the freedom that comes with Gamble playing in behind him

6 Sweeney: Playing as a surrogate striker got forward at will, and had a couple of openings

5 Monkhouse: Missed the clearest chance Pools created all day, pushing the ball wide from close range;

7 Behan: Lone striker held up possession well to bring others into play and took a battering from the defence Subs:

Jones (for Humphreys 73) Boyd (for Behan 73)

(not used):

Cook (gk), Clark, McSweeney, Fredriksen, Bjornsson MAN OF THE MATCH

JOE Gamble – the player Pools have needed all season ran the game for a long time.