Match Report: Oldham 0 Hartlepool United 2

By Albatross
December 28 2003

About time too! Hartlepool United deservedly won away from home, and kept a clean sheet away from the Vic for the first time in months. Albatross brings you a view from the Boundary Park...

Following the defeat to Barnsley, Cooper decided to ring the changes; Robson replaced Brackstone at left back, while up front Paul Robinson was preferred to Joel Porter.

It was cold but initially fairly bright as Oldham kicked off towards us; Pools didn't take long to get into action though with some good work down the right that saw us win a corner that missed everyone in the area. Oldham cleared upfield, Zola doing well to hold the ball up and work the play out to the right leading to a corner for the home team. The ball was flicked on at the near post dangerously, but Ref Joe Ross had already blown for a foul on Provett.

On four minutes Pools won a free kick on the left near the halfway line; Strachan floated the ball into the area where it was almost scrambled home before being cleard upfield. We were having much of the play in this opening period, but seemed to be just lacking the quality with the final ball. That almost came on 8 minutes though; a great corner ball in from Strachan was headed goalwards by Westwood before Clegg blocked the ball on the line to clear.

Oldham's front two of Zola and Johnson were working well but getting few chances; Johnson though did almost find himself in after a slip from Westwood on 10 minutes. He broke towards the box before trying a long range effort that went well wide.

Shuker was looking lively down the Pools right, and some quick reactions from him almost embarrassed the home defence on 12 minutes. A bad ball into the box from Pools was turned into a good one when SHuker used his pace to get to it when he had no real right to; his ball across was palmed over the top by Pogliacomi. Shuker won another corner a minute later after some good play down the right, and then won Pools a free kick in a dangerous position almost on the corner of the box when he was brought down by Boshell after a quick break from midfield. The Free Kick was put a yard over the bar by Robson.

More good attacking play from Pools again started when Shuker intercepted the ball in midfield and headed for goal; the ball spread out to the left by Robinson, Robson's cross from the left came back over to Barron who put in a cross that was just too far for Eifion to get on the end of.

Oldham were having plenty of possession, but were having more trouble producing a final ball than Pools were. Their next chance came when a deep cross from the left came to John Eyre who shot powerfully from 20 yards - but well wide of the post. Nelson was having a terrific game in defence, and Oldham's only real hope of doing enough to breach the Pools rearguard seemed to be from a set piece. They did have one good chance though; a cross from the right by Boshell found the head of Johnson six yards out - but Provett did superbly to tip his header round the post. The corner was then cleared , came back to Eyre who tried to set up Johnson - but again from about 20 yards out the shot went well wide.

We then got a taste of what was to come when driving rain made it's first appearance; the first shower was just a couple of minutes, but the wind and rain continued intermittently and especially in the second half made conditions bad enough in the cover of the stand, never mind out on the pitch!

Zola had been looking like the player most likely to cause problems for Pools, but on the half hour he found himself flat on his back after a challenge with Tinkler. No foul was given, but with Zola motionless on the ground the ref stopped the play anyway, upon which Zola got up again.

We were then treated to the sight of sub goalie Konstantopoulos warming up, this provoked a few shouts of "Chewbacca" from the Pools fans and a rueful grin from the Greek keeper.

Shuker was still looking a real livewire - maybe he was trying to impress the Oldham management? - and on 34 minutes he had a good run and shot from 20 yards that Pogliacomi could only tip round the post. The Corner saw Nelson have a header cleared off the line - only for the ref to blow up for a foul in the box.

Barron then needed some treatment after a dangerouus raised foot caught him on the halfway line; amazingly, Ross didn't book the offender. Robson was the next to receive some treatment after going down holding his knee; he was however fit to resume play.

Having been on the wrong end of a stoppage time goal on Boxing Day, it was our turn to score one. Some good play from Shuker saw the ball worked across to Robson; his cross ended up back out on the right, the ball was played back in for Tinkler to try a shot that was blocked, only to fall into the path of EIFION WILLIAMS who made no mistake to bundle the ball home.

There was still time for Oldham to try and respond, and they won a corner on the right that was cleared; Robson got in to complete the clearance, but Johnson seemed to think he'd been fouled and was told in no uncertain terms to stop being silly and get on with it.

Conditions had worsened during the break, and it was a far from idyllic Boundary Park that welcomed the two teams back onto the pitch. Oldham were the first to show, with Johnson sending another long range effort well wide. Ritchie then almost played Provett into trouble with a back pass, but the Pools keeper was alert and cleared the danger.

Pools were playing some good stuff when they got the ball down though, and just before the hour mark some good play from Robinson and then Williams gave Humphreys some time and space on the left; his cross-cum-shot though was poor and didn't trouble the Oldham keeper unduly. Some sustained attacking play down the right then saw Oldham under pressure, eventually giving none other than Mickey Barron the chance to shoot inside the box: his shot was blocked, and Tinkler's effort with the rebound was easy for Pogliacomi.

After yet another distant effort failed to trouble Provett, Oldham did produce a better move; some good work from Johnson gave veteran David Eyres an opportunity on the left of the area, Provett though was equall to the shot and gathered it in at the second attempt.

Cooper then decided Shuker had done enough for the day and brought on Istead; after another 20 yard plus effort (this time from Boshell) and a corner that Cooksey sent wide, Paul Robinson made way for Joel Porter. Both players received a good reception from the 541 Pools fans as they warmed down; both had worked hard, and Shuker had possibly his best game so far in a Pools shirt.

Istead found himself in the action on 72 minutes; a Strachan corner went too far, Istead picked it up and beat two men for pace before heading for goal. Haining chopped him down and should have been booked - instead the ref seems to have booked Griffin!

Istead then seemed to have laid on a second goal for Pools and Eifion Williams; some superb work near the corner flag saw him take the ball along the by-line before crossing for Eifion to flick home at the near post. However, it was chalked off after the linesman (who presumably must have had x-ray vision to see it) reckoned that Istead had failed to keep the ball in play.

The second goal wasn't much longer in coming though. A long free kick into the box was cleared out to PORTER, he shot from 20 yards and saw an Oldham player deflect the ball past the stranded keeper.

Pools could have made it three five minutes later, when some great play between Istead and Williams saw the Welshman break into the box and ghost past two defenders, only to screw his shot wide of the near post.

Oldham were once again being restricted to long range efforts, and Johnson was continuing to show how poor his shooting was as a result. After one 30 yard effort, he did manage to get the next one on target from a little closer in - but never looked likely to trouble Provett.

Eifion was the recipient of another scything challenge with three minutes left; the offender, Eyre, picked up a deserved booking. Pools then looked to play out time down by the corner flag, with Porter showing some good close control before Istead was fouled; Pools continued to keep the ball in play in the corner, frustrating Oldham. When Porter tried to break for goal, Cooksey lunged in with possibly the worst tackle of the game - a leg breaker if ever there was one. Cooksey can consider himself fortunate to have received only a yellow card, while Haining also seemed to want to get involved with a shoving match as things threatened to get out of hand.

Referee Ross decided to end this situation by bizarrely giving a free kick against Eifion in the corner when he seemed to do nothing wrong other than shield the ball; however, Oldham had no time to do much more than hoof the ball upfield before the whistle went to confirm Pools first away victory since Chesterfield back in October, and our first clean sheet away from the Vic since York in February.

Although this was a good performance overall by Pools, there were still some areas of concern. Tinkler and Strachan are still essentially trying to do the same thing; Westwood made one or two errors; and Robson wasn't having a great game either. However, with Nelson a rock at the back, Shuker providing a spark on the right, and Williams and Robinson working hard up front this was a deserved victory. Oldham may have had more possession and shots - but they were in the main restricted to efforts from 20 yards or more, and never looked likely to break down the Pools rearguard.

Pools move back up to 11th, and back into striking range of a playoff place - however, it's time to think FA Cup, and the next few days will no doubt be dominated by the game with Sunderland. Cooper though will know how important today's result was - three more league points, and the team go into Saturday's game on the back of one good away performance. Let's hope for more of the same.