Pools respond to crisis with battling display

They’ve been hit by the controversial resignations of the manager and chief executive, are approaching deadlock with the local council over negotiations to buy Victoria Park, have suffered some bad luck as well as bad form and have lost one of the best goalkeepers in the lower divisions. But don’t write off Hartlepool United yet.

That was the message from Brentford’s Griffin Park, where Pools staged a determined and well-organised defensive display that fully deserved a point from a goalless draw, and might have pinched all three.
The closest either side came to scoring was a Gary Liddle volley that hit the inside of the post before being scrambled away, though Antony Sweeney’s late chance was even better as he raced clear of the defence only to finish weakly.
At the other end, young keeper Jake Kean had a League debut to dream about.
On loan from Blackburn as cover for Scott Flinders, he found himself thrust into the keeper’s jersey because of a bad thumb injury which will keeper Flinders out for weeks – and he grabbed his chance.
A couple of good early saves helped, but he looked confident all game and caretaker boss Mick Wadsworth was full of praise for him, describing the debut as “exceptional … a wonderful way to start, with a clean sheet away from home,” when he spoke to the official website.
But he also praised the team as a whole for a much better defensive display, describing the team as “resolute and ruthless”.
They will need a lot more of those qualities if they are to carry on the improvement – Pools have a useful away record so far, with a win and two draws out of four games.
But at home their record makes depressing reading … a single point from three games is relegation form.
With two home games in four days coming up, against Walsall on Saturday and Carlisle on Tuesday, Pools have the chance to redress the balance.
Walsall have the same number of points, six, but Wadsworth’s former club Carlisle are third top with 13 and will take some beating.
Four points from the two games would be useful, six would be tremendous.