Playoff Aftermath: Beaten but still Proud

By Albatross
May 20 2004

So near and yet so far... Hartlepool United's playoff dream is over, but there's still plenty of reason for Poolies everywhere to be proud of what our club has achieved this season. Trophies for Youth and Reserve teams, and being within touching distance of the Playoff Final, is hard to better.

Last night's defeat was almost cruel in it's manner, but Pools can take a heck of a lot of credit from their performance. While Bristol had more of the play, they certainly didn't dominate the game the way we did at the Vic; Provett didn't have to make too much in the way of saves, as the defence and midfield worked hard to close down opportunities.

Some Pools fans may point to the bad luck we had on the night - Boyd's first half effort that hit the inside of the post, the fact that we lost Westwood and then Barron from the back four through injury, and finished with just ten men when Eifion had to limp off in stoppage time - but Bristol City can point at the forced substitution of Peacock on their side. If anything, Pools payed the price a little for not having a defender on the bench - after Tinkler moved back to cover for Westie, we simply ran out of options when Barron had to come off as well. That showed in Eifion having to play at right back - and while it would be extremely harsh to say he was at fault, the second goal came from a break down that side that someone experienced in the position might have read a little better. It also robbed us of one of our leading attackers at a crucial stage in the match.

That's not to blame Cooper either. He'd allowed for the fact that one defender may have to go off, by having the midfielders to allow him to move Tinkler back; how many sides would expect to lose two defenders in one game? Even despite that, we still held our opponents at bay until 87 minutes had passed - a heck of a lot further than many would have expected.

So it's another season in Division 2 that we will be facing next year. And while no doubt many are thinking along the lines of automatic promotion, let me sound a bit of a warning. This season we have exceeded all expectations - but that's possibly in part because our opponents haven't really known about us, and certainly at the start of the season weren't inclined to show us much respect - frequently to their cost. Now, the cat is well and truly out of the bag: we've proved we are a side worthy of respect, and teams will be that bit more cautious when playing us. We certainly won't be able to walk this league next season.

On the other hand, the quality at the top may not be so high in the season ahead. Plymouth and QPR both outclassed us, and if Bristol go up as well then three of the teams that beat us at home will be out of the picture; the teams coming down do not look anywhere near as good, with Wimblestein quite probably going straight through the division to hopefully total oblivion. If anything, the sides coming up from Division 3 may be more of a threat, although Walsall will be hopeful of being up there challenging.

There will be a full month by month review of the season coming up in the next couple of weeks, but it has to be said that this season has been a fantastic one to be a Hartlepool United fan. From relegation favourites to three minutes from the Playoff Final, it's been one heck of a ride, with the rollercaster having a lot more ups than downs. We have so much to be proud of - we've defied the odds, forced the words of pretty much every pundit back down their throats, and done it by playing some good football. We've got a managerial team that has done a tremendous job, we've got some great players coming through the youth ranks, and in so many ways the future has never looked brighter for the club - imagine what we'll be like after Coops has had a proper pre-season to work with the players!

Pride is the order of the day: pride in our performance last night, pride in our highest finshing position for almost 50 years, pride in how we've gone about this season, pride in how our club is progressing. Well done Hartlepool United - you've done more than anyone could reasonable ask this season, and we, the fans, are proud of you.