Corporate hospitality makes you go blind

They call it corporate hospitality - prawn sandwiches, small pies cut in half, wedges of sloppy quiche and plenty of booze. And it works at Hartlepool's Victoria Park, where a good time is had by all. I'll have a pint of whatever the beer is they serve there because it appears to have mind-altering qualities if the man of the match award against Yeovil is anything to go by.

Just before the end of a drab goalless draw, it was announced that the sponsors had voted for their man of the match - Richie Humphreys (right).
Now don't get us wrong, RH didn't have a bad game and he's clearly a grand lad and a wonderful servant to the club.
But the man of the match against Yeovil, probably by a few miles, was Matty Robson.
He started at left-back and later in the game swapped with Humphreys to go wide on the left of midfield, and in both positions he was outstanding.
He was one of the few players on either team with any attacking ideas, he ran well with the ball and he crossed even better.
That beer must be great in the corporate areas at the Vic, full of red-faced blokes called Gary or Damien, knocking it back all afternoon.
They probably think Pools are top of League One, Richie Humphreys is top scorer, and Adam Boyd is still on the books.
Well, sorry lads, it's time to take off the beer goggles and come back to the real world.
They managed a rare clean sheet (left) against Yeovil, but Pools are in a bit of a crisis, without a win in five League One games and losing players like flies. James Brown (no, not the soul singer, the player)  is out for the season, Joel Porter and Richie Jones will miss next weekend's trip to Hereford through injury and suspension, the defence isn't working very well and there's no money in the kitty.
Apart from that, the future's bright ... the future's Pools.
Pass the mushroom vol au vents.

STOP PRESS: just looked at the SPONSORS' GALLERY on the Pools website, and we suspect we know why they voted the way they did ... they were on Magners!!!!