Super sub Porter rides to Pools rescue

Joel Porter - goal
By Clarence Rode
September 16 2007

Surely striker Joel Porter has done enough now to earn himself a place in the starting line-up and a chance to prove that he can score the goals Hartlepool need this season. He went on as sub and scored to save his side a point at home to Swindon, and did enough to suggest it's time he was given a chance to show he can still be a regular goalscorer.

Porter's 69th minute goal gave Hartlepool a point in a game in which they never played anywhere near their best.
In fact, until Danny Wilson sent on Porter and fellow-sub Ali Gibb for the second half, they were well below par.
The defence looked shaky with Michael Nelson not his commanding self, and keeper Jan Budtz (right) got the opportunity to show that he is a perfectly good replacement for Dimi Konstantopoulos, who scored an own goal against his Coventry side at the weeekend.
Budtz made a great double save in the first half and another late in the game when he somehow tipped out a goalbound effort from Swindon sub Chris Blackburn.
Nelson is believed to have been carrying an ankle injury, and he aggravated it and was replaqced by Ben Clark in the second half.
Clark did well, while Jamie McCunnie showed he's just as comofrtable in midfield as he is at right-back as he switched to help Gary Liddle take control in the middle of the park.
Richard Barker battled as hard as ever up front, but for all his running and hard work, Ian Moore is not going to be a prolific scorer - and Porter has proved before that he can be.
Defenders hate playing against him. He works just as hard as Moore, runs at the big men with the ball at his feet and scores goals. What more do we need?
Over to you Mr Wilson.
John-Paul-George-Ringo McGovern gave Swindon the lead with a good chip on 30 minutes, and with Pools struggling to find the form that impressed so many people at Leeds a week earlier, the visitors might have had more.
The half-time changes did the trick, though, and Pools were better in the second half, though never hit the form that had beaten Donny and Oldham in previous home games.
By the way, it WAS a penalty when James Brown was tripped in the area in the last minute, and the ref was right there. Did he bottle it because it was so late in the game? We'll never know.
Pools go to unbeaten League One leaders Leyton Orient next weekend, hoping to well Adam Boyd, who is scoring goals galore for the Londoners.
Hopefully Porter will be playing against his old strike partner.