Another double for Boyd - this time awards

By Albatross
May 17 2004

Hartlepool United forward Adam Boyd has picked up the Division 2 Player of the Month and Goalscorer of the Month awards for April after seven goals in six games. It's a well-deserved double off the field for a player that's been grabbing a few doubles on it recently.

The awards for Boyd simply emphasise how much he's turned around his Pools career in the last few weeks. It's not that long ago that many were expecting him to be joining Boston permanently, and adding him to the list of "should have beens" that includes the likes of Steve Halliday, Paul Conlon and many others. Instead, Boyd has arrived with a vengeance, finally adding a high work-rate to his undoubted ability.

The stats tell their own tale. Boyd has scored 26 goals since his debut back at the end of 1999; his previous best tally for the club was nine in 2001/2 - when he was involved a total of 31 times (most as sub); so far this season he's notched 11 times in 17 - with just nine starts. He's looking hungrier than at any time in his career, and the Player of the Month and Goalscorer of the Month awards have been well deserved.

We need to see Boyd continuing his form on Saturday though. Port Vale may be away, but it's to a side that has one point from eight games and no goal in four - Rushden - and we cannot rely on them dropping points. Though there would in many ways be a sort of fitting irony to Pools achieving a playoff place courtesy of a result from Nene Park on the last day....

While a draw would suit both Pools and Swindon, a boring 0-0 is hardly going to be on the cards. Neale Cooper doesn't strike me as someone that would want to play for the draw (always a dangerous tactic anyway), and in some ways you have to feel that it would be to our advantage to put them out of the playoff picture if possible anyway - I'd certainly fancy our chances against Vale compared to Swindon after our demolition of them in January.

Saturday's disappointment against champions Plymouth may have put a spanner in the works, but after recent seasons you have to say that Pools will not be travelling to Swindon without hope. On the two occasions we got in on the last day before, we did it by winning away from home - against Hull and Exeter respectively. While neither of those were in the sort of position Swindon are in this year, our superlative away record also means that we will be giving the Swindon boss Andy King pause for thought - and possibly time to reflect on his comments about the wind helping Pools in our victory earlier in the season, and the fact that he also said at the time "We should be beating sides like Hartlepool." All Coops will need to do to motivate the players for this one is pin those comments up on the dressing-room wall.....