8:49am Saturday 31st March 2007
Hartlepool United 3, Chester City 0.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED broke the club record five days earlier and last night they showed that have every intention of keeping the longest unbeaten run in British football going.
After the sequence was extended to 23 matches with a routine victory over Chester City, Pools know two further wins over the Easter period could mean promotion back to League One has been achieved by April's Bank Holiday Monday.
Two first-half goals from Richie Barker and Andy Monkhouse, the first coming less than three minutes in, set the tone for Danny Wilson's men, who have an eight-point cushion over second-placed Walsall before the rest of the division's fixtures this afternoon.
And, after the restart and following the dismissal of Chester captain Phil Bolland, Ben Clark's close-range header wrapped things up.
If going four-and-a-half months without defeat was not impressive enough, the fact that Pools, whose biggest worry could be the extent of the damage to Antony Sweeney's groin after he hobbled off again, have scored in all of the league games within that time has been another first for the club.
Last night was all about their form at Victoria Park and, having claimed their tenth win from 11 outings on home soil during their incredible run, the prospect of a first piece of silverware in the club's 99-year history is edging ever nearer.
Consistency has been the key to Pools' incredible unbeaten sequence and for the seventh match in a row Wilson retained the same starting line-up, meaning Craig Hignett had to settle for a place on the bench again.
There was a clear determination from the outset to avoid becoming embroiled in Chester's confrontational tactics, a task helped by the ideal start.
Following the high of Sunday's victory over rivals Darlington, the buoyancy felt around the seaside town was reflected in the stands from the first whistle last night and that was transformed on to the pitch.
Within 150 seconds Pools had gained the upper hand. Ritchie Humphreys, presented with a gift to commemorate passing 300 appearances for the club at Darlington last weekend, delivered a deep cross from which Barker leapt high to head into goalkeeper John Danby's far corner.
It was the perfect start, although it seemed to temporarily inject a casualness into the league leaders' play.
Chester, with nothing to play for and sitting some nine points shy of the play-offs, had numerous opportunities to pull level before Monkhouse added the second just before the half-hour.
From one corner, Michael Barron was alert to chest off the line Dave Artell's back-post header and Dimi Konstantopoulos held the rebound shot from Dean Bennett.
There was an even clearer opening moments later when Jamie Hand, allowed the freedom of Pools' area on the left, was denied by the safe hands of Konstantopoulos.
Referee Dean Whitestone was quick to penalise the heavy-handed tactics adopted by Chester's powerful three-man defence, though slow to produce his yellow card.
After centre-back Paul Linwood pushed Eifion Williams to the floor, Humphreys was given another opportunity to deliver from exactly the same spot he created the first goal. This time, however, Barker's effort dropped just wide.
The Pools target man has proved to be an astute signing from Mansfield in January and it was his presence that assisted the second.
Micky Nelson's searching ball from the right touchline was flicked on by Barker and into the feet of Monkhouse, unmarked just inside the Chester penalty area.
The left-winger made the most of the space he was afforded and side-footed into Danby's far corner.
After the restart Chester rarely threatened, and when there was an effort on goal it tended to be from those in blue and white shirts.
Lee Bullock, a replacement for Sweeney, was unlucky to see his glancing header drop into Danby's hands.
And, after Bolland was red-carded for persistent fouling, Clark made it 3-0, crashing a power header beyond Danby after the Humphreys-Barker free-kick routine worked again.
From that moment on, despite the introduction of former Middlesbrough playmaker Craig Hignett for his debut, there appeared to be an acceptance from both sets of players that 3-0 was to be the scoreline - and so it proved.
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