Hat trick of cup flops for Pools

Getting knocked out in the first round of one cup competition is disappointing, when it happens twice it's frustrating, but for it to happen three times - as it has for Hartlepool United this season - is downright annoying.

After their failure in the Carling Cup and the Johnstone’s Paints Trophy, Pools should have had more than enough incentive to make home advantage count in the first round of the FA Cup against Stevenage.

But they failed at the first hurdle again, and we are beginning to wonder if that might mean a bit of a financial crisis at the Vic.

After all, cup competition are supposed to be there to add spice to the bread and butter of League One footy for teams like Pools, they provide a chance for a bit of glory, a touch of romance and perhaps even a massive financial windfall in the later stages.

But there’s none of that for Pools this season, and after the financial gamble of their £100 season tickets, could it be that Pools will feel the financial pinch?

After all, the season ticket scheme might have earned Pools a mass of goodwill and thousands of new friends, but did it earn a lot more cash than selling a smaller number at normal prices?

That’s a question for chairman Ken Hodcroft, but perhaps he is wondering whether the discount scheme was really worth it.

Meanwhile, the team is licking its wounds after losing to an early Scott Laird penalty after Pools keeper Scott Flinders was sent off for his foul on Chris Beardsley.

Mick Wadsworth had to do without injured skipper Sam Collins, and was far from happy with the red card decision.

He told the club website: “I have no issue about the penalty and no issue with perhaps a yellow card, but Neil Austin had got round to cover and had possession as the foul was committed.

It wasn’t anywhere near a goalscoring opportunity, but there’s not a lot we can do now. We went on to be the better team in the second half.

“We showed battling qualities today and we’ll need to take them into the coming games to get right back on track.”

The ten men did have chances to get back into the game, but wasted them time after time and a week after easing the League One crisis with a useful draw at Leyton Orient, losing at home to Stevenage outs them right back where they started.

In a bit of a mess.