Joel's double shows Pools need to try to keep him

Joel Porter's two well-taken goals earned Hartlepool a valuable victory over Northampton at Victoria Park, and now the fans want the club to do something in return -- persuade the Aussie striker to stay. It's reported that he has agreed to return to Australia at the end of this season, but on this form Pools can't afford to be without him.

Porter has been a great servant to the club, and his two goals againt Northampton demonstrated that even when he's not quite 100 per cent fit, he's good enough to cause problems for League One defences.
He's scored 15 goals this season now and if James Brown (right) had not been ruled out for the rest of the season, it would have been an interesting race to see which of them would finish as leading scorer.
As things stand, Porter will win it by a mile and then pack his bags at the end of his Pools contract.
So the big question is, are Porter and his family determined to go home, swapping the North east of England for Queensland, or would they listen to a new offer?
And if so, are Pools willing to splash some of the cash they have made in the FA Cup this season - just over £300,000 at the last count - on a new contract for one of the most popular, most succesful and most professional players the club has had in recent seasons?
It's a no-brainer as far as we can see - make him an offer and see what he says. Apart from sunshine, a brilliant life for your children, the Great Barrier Reef and beer that tastes like moth pee, what has Queensland got that we haven't got?
Porter's well-taken goals in a scrappy game gave Pools the three points that mean they have now put a comfortable gap between themselves and the bottom four, but they can't relax.
It wasn't a classic performance and while the defence deserves a gold star for keeping a clean sheet, we'd like to know when the midfield is going to weigh in with a goal or two.
Meanwhile, it's time to start looking forwward to next weekend's big game against West Ham. Reaching round four of the FA Cup is a bonus, but let's enjoy it while we can and make sure that if we lose we do so without being disgraced.