Safety Assured

An inquest must be held soon into how play-off favourites became relegation battlers - but for now let's celebrate a remarkable fightback by ten men ..

The £5 ticket attracdted almost 5,000 supporters and for much of the game they weren't being given value for money.

Pools have played some good football this season only to fail to hit the back of the net and ultimately fallen to sucker punches. It was the other way round on a Bank Holiday Monday to remember as relegation rivals were beaten 2-1.

Poor marking at the far post had given the visitors a lead which they were keen to hang onto, and it looked like they would when Simon Walton was red carded.

Walton had been leaidng from the front as he tried to get the maximum out of his colleagues, but once again he succumbed to his own red mist and inexplicably went over the top in a challenge for the ball.

He must  have felt dreadful as he took the long walk off. Goodness knows how his beleagured manager felt.

The game loooked lost but credit to Cooper who made two substitutions which came to be inspired.

First was Jack Compton who came on for the hard working Poole. Odd choice, we all thought, as Monkhouse was obviously struggling to find his normal form after being off so long with a hamstring injury.

But Cooper was proved right as Compton added a zest to the game which had been missing, and capped it off with superb left foot strike into the bottom corner from fglly 25 yards.

The Vic went crazy and the support more than made up for Walton's absence as Pools took control. With both full backs raiding up their wings and Harewood making a nuisance of himself we took the ascendancy.

However,it took another sub to clinch safety.

Jack Barmby has looked like his Man U. pedigree has been a millstone around his neck at times. Too often he has tried to do too much on the ball, but once he'd come on for the tiring Monkhouse he finally showed his class.

The ball broke loose in the box and he cooly got it under control and made sure the keeper wopuld get nowhere near as he rounded him and slotted home. You'd think Pools had been his club all his life as he celebrated in front of the Rink End. T

The emotional release among his teammates and the supporters was heartwarming.

But let's make sure it doesni't need to be repeated next season.