Magnificent Pools win on the road ... again

Huddersfield Town 0, Hartlepool United 1 – it looks good in black and white, and it looked even better on a rare green pitch to beat the mid-season freeze as Mick Wadsworth continued to work his magic and take Pools to tenth place in League One.

Remember the bad old days when Pools were hammered by the likes of Sheffield Wednesday and Carlisle – you should, because it was only a few weeks ago.
But now Pools are a force, with three 1-0 wins on the trot, the best defensive away record in League One, and back to back away wins against teams in the play-off zone.
They are tenth in the table, three points behind third-top Huddersfield with a game in hand.
Tuesday’s home game against Leyton Orient has been called off, but it would take more than that to wipe the smile off Wadsworth’s face.
He has been saying for weeks that Pools would improve. He was right.
Pools had to work for their win in front of a crowd of just under 15,000, keeper Jake Kean again showing what a wonderful prospect he is with fine saves in either half when the defence in front of him was breached.
The winner came just before half-time, when Evan Horwood crossed from the left and Leon McSweeney scored from close-in at the far post.
Sub Armann Bjornsson could have made it two near the end, but he sent his shot over the bar when it looked easier to score.
Wadsworth told the club website: “Since the first game of the season, the players have come  long way. They are a fantastic bunch. Apart from having steel they have a little bit of style as well.
“It as always going to be very difficult today, but we stood up to the test. Perhaps we rode our luck a couple of time and the goalkeeper was magnificent. He is a bit special this boy.
Hopefully, he’s not so special that the new regime at Blackburn will decide to recall him from his loan at Pools.
The Orient postponement is a blow, though it was expected and the consolation is that Pools can spend the week preparing for Saturday's home game with Oldham. If that one is called off, they really will have a backlog of fixtures.