Matches last 90 minutes, Pools, not just 45

It’s time for somebody to remind Hartlepool United’s players that footy matches last 90 minutes, not just 45. For the second game running Pools more than matched opponents who are allegedly better in the first half when they played Southampton at the Vic on a windy Tuesday night, but lost their way in the second and the inevitable happened – they lost.

At Huddersfield on Saturday Pools made a real game of it in the first half against a side used to getting their own way at home, but blew it after half-time.
And the same happened against Southampton, Pools again taking the lead in the first half and losing it later.
Chris Turner’s men played some good football into the wind and Andy Monkhouse’s goal that gave them the lead was the least they deserved.
But Southampton equalized late in the first half, scored a good goal for the lead early in the second, and wrapped it up with a daft third near the end.
To make matter worse for Pools, Richie Jones was sent off late in the game for a rash tackle at a time when it was obvious Southampton were going to win.
So after five games unbeaten, two defeats against sides fancied to do well this season have brought Pools tumbling back down to earth.
Their record so far this season suggests that Pools can do well against the smaller, unfancied teams. But when they come up against the so-called big boys, they struggle – they have lost to Southampton, Huddersfield, Norwich and Charlton, and have yet to play the most fancied team of all, Leeds United.
So all the signs are that while Turner might have entertained thoughts of Pools establishing themselves on the fringe of the play-off zone in league One, a place in mid-table might be more realistic.
But even that would be progress after last season, when they were lucky to stay up on the last day of the campaign.
They might have had their dreams, as everybody does at the start of every season, but the club and most fans would probably have settled for a mid-table place before the first game.
Anything else would be a bonus, and until they start winning what might be termed “big” games, mid-table is probably the best they can hope for.
Out of the FA Cup, they now face a blank weekend, giving them timne to get their act together before next Tuesday's visit to Carlisle where there's a bit of a revival going on after a shaky start to the season.
As well as the result and Jones's red card, there was another blow for Pools when Denis Behan - who played well on his return to the team - was stretchered off with an ankle injury that looks lkike keeping him out for six weeks.