2004/5 Season Review: April

Player of the Season
By Albatross
June 13 2005

April 2005 started with Pools looking to improve on the previous month and secure a place in the playoffs once more. However, after some initial promising signs we ended up having to take things to the last day of the season - again.

April started with rumours that Neale Cooper was in the frame for the Dundee United job - and would continue seeing him linked to a string of jobs in the SPL. Little did we know that he barely had a month left at Victoria Park....

The month started off fairly well though, with Swindon the victims as Pools recorded a 3-0 win at the Vic. Porter, Humphreys and new recruit Thomas Butler - scoring his first senior goal - were on the scoresheet.

Sadly this wasn't to last. The following Tuesday saw us go 2-0 up at the break at home to Peterborough - only to take the foot off the pedal and allow Posh to pull back to earn a draw. Cooper was furious, lambasting his players by suggesting that they lacked bottle. With hindsight, was this the beginning of the end for him at Victoria Park?

Pools travelled to Colchester with a flea in their ear, but also without Joel Porter after he picked up an injury; Provett was replaced by Konstantopoulos in goal, and Pools earned a draw thanks to a goal from Butler (but widely credited to Sweeney) in a game that also saw Steve Howey make his only appearance for the club, replacing the injured Nelson just after half time.

All talk was set to be about how everything was going down to the wire and the crucial Friday Night game with Sheffield Wednesday: but more evidence of unhappiness at the club threatened to take centre stage. Jim Provett handed in a transfer request, apparently unhappy at being dropped for the Colchester match but also claiming that he'd been made a scapegoat for poor results. Most Pools fans were unimpressed - Dimi was doing the business anyway, and not many wanted to quibble about his place in the side.

The game against Wednesday soon washed away the discussion in any case - quite literally! In torrential rain and standing water in places on the pitch, Pools were initially boosted by the recovery of Joel Porter. Unfortunately he lasted just eight minutes before pulling up injured - but by this time Boyd had already put Pools ahead. Sheffield Wednesday just couldn't cope with Boyd, and he went on to grab his first senior hat-trick - the third goal was sublime, winning the goal of the season award from the fans.

Another Pools player was in the headlines shortly after though, and this time it was Jack Ross. Ross had of course handed in a transfer request some months previously, and that unhappiness hadn't diminished despite a long spell in the side. Following his injury at Stockport his state of mind seemed to have got worse, and now he told the Scottish press that he had no intention of playing for the club again - he was back in his homeland, apparently signed off with depression, and claimed to be frustrated at the lack or progress in agreeing his release from Pools.

On the pitch at least Pools were in pole position following the win over the Owls - but once again we seemed almost determined to blow our chances of winning a playoff slot. Far from securing our place, we instead lost with below par performances at Doncaster and then at home to Walsall. It would all go down to the last day of the season, at Bournemouth. Unknown to us though, a certain Scotsman would not be there.