County Sunk At The Double By Pools
The Hatters’ first contest with Hartlepool on the North Sea coast in a decade saw them return home from Victoria Park empty-handed, after a goal in each half for ‘Pools’ earned the points.
County took to the field in front of a lively crowd representing the two former Football League rivals, and with just the one change from the initial line-up at Edgeley Park against Sutton United seven days previously. But it was an eagerly-anticipated and well-received one – involving as it did the immediate inclusion in the starting 11 of Danny Lloyd, following his return earlier in the week, on loan from Salford City, for a second spell at County. Another recent arrival, Liam McAlinden, was the player to make way and named among the substitutes.
The contest on the pitch was also quite lively from the outset, albeit without a great deal of action in either final third until nearly a dozen minutes had passed – whereupon Ben Hinchliffe was called into action. County’s Number One dived at full stretch to parry away Gavan Holohan’s low shot from the edge of the box, before Aidan Keena fired beyond the left post on the rebound.
Holohan drilled another effort beyond the opposite upright, and forced Hinchliffe to keep out a third attempt, as the Irish midfielder individually, and Pools generally, put County under a spell of pressure. But with 18 minutes on the clock, the Hatters almost scored an opener when home goalkeeper Mitchell Beeney fumbled an Adam Thomas cross from the right – allowing Lloyd to direct a header towards goal that on-loan debutant Macauley Southam-Hales deflected behind.
A goal did arrive just after the half-hour mark, although it went to the hosts – with Keena, on his home debut, turning in at close range a low cross from the right by-line by Mark Shelton. And the half-time whistle came as a rather welcome sound for the Hatters, who, after falling behind, had focused much of their effort on withstanding further attacks.
HALF-TIME: Hartlepool 1 (Keena, 31), County 0.
County introduced Nyal Bell up top upon the resumption – although the second half began as the first had ended, with Pools on the offensive. Within a couple of minutes, their advantage was almost doubled as Gime Touré was played through on the left – only to blast well over.
Touré promptly made amends a few minutes later, by helping to set up his side’s second. The French forward’s low delivery from the left was collected by Holohan, who, with his back to goal, fed Shelton for a low drive that fizzed beyond Hinchliffe and into the bottom-near corner.
Hinchliffe continued to be kept busy, as he smothered a Holohan shot and tipped around the right post one from Touré – whilst, at the other end, Ash Palmer, wearing a numberless shirt after the interval, sent headers wide of the far post in quick succession from Lloyd’s free-kick and corner.
Beeney did well to keep out another set-piece delivery by Lloyd – parrying a 35-yard free-kick around the right post. The Hartlepool ‘keeper then used his legs to good effect in blocking Bell’s low shot, and tipped behind Festus Arthur’s added-time header as County proceeded to ask some questions of the hosts towards the end.
But it was ultimately to no avail, as defeat saw the Hatters drop two positions to 10th, as well as remaining in search of their inaugural win for 2020.
FULL-TIME: Hartlepool 2 (Keena, 31; Shelton, 51), County 0.
Team (4-2-3-1): Hinchliffe; Cowan, Palmer, Arthur, Clarke (Bell, 46); Turnbull (Capt.) (McAlinden, 70), Keane; Thomas, Osborne, Lloyd; Archer (Minihan, 64).
Unused Subs: Walker, Ormson.
Booked: McAlinden.
Attendance: 3,766 (483 representing The Twelfth Man).
Reporter: Gareth Evans.
Photographer: Mike Petch.
