Praise doesn't win points for Pools
Monky - early goal
By Charlie Summerbell
March 24 2010
If they dished out points for being impressive, going close and attracting compliments from opposition fans and managers, Hartlepool United would not be in the trouble they are in near the foot of the League One table. But of course you get points for results, and they have not been good enough away from home all season.
At Millwall, Norwich, Bristol Rovers, Charlton and Huddersfield Pools have played well and threatened to cause an upset before losing, and now it’s happened at Southampton.
Chris Tuner says it was a hard result for the players to take, but that should go without saying.
The third and fourth bottom teams, Southend and Exeter, are now just two points behind Pools and the pressure is really on for the rest of the season, starting on Saturday when Danny Wilson brings his promotion-chasing Swindon to the Vic.
Pools took the lead through Andy Monkhouse at St Mary’s, but it only lasted three minutes before lee Barnard levelled and then goal machine Ricky Lambert got his 31st of the season after Ben Clark’s mistake to give Saints a half-time lead.
In the second half another error, this time by Peter Hartley, saw the score go to 3-1 via the quaintly-named Papa Waigo, before Neil Austin drove in from 25 yards to give Pools a chance of a late shock.
Saints boss Alan Pardew admitted his team got out of jail as he joined a band of opposing managers happy to aim praise at Pools after taking the points from them.
Turner was unhappy with the defensive errors that cost his team a result and added that Pools need to change from being a “nearly” team into one that gets results.
That must start on Saturday – Swindon is another difficult fixture, but having spent much of the season saying they are a better team than results and the League table suggest it’s time for Turner and his players to prove it.