Flat Pools fall to regulation defeat on the road

Victory over Woking on Saturday was welcome, but naturally followed by a return to the norm as they slumped to a soft defeat at Halifax.

Pools are now 19th in the National League, three points above the relegation zone. If administration comes – and there’s every chance it will – it will put them into National League North. Chances are they will manage it without financial punishment anyway.

This is the lowest they have ever been, but it could still get a whole lot worse.

They had a 15 minute spell at the start of the second half when they had a go and when nothing came of it, that was that.

The travelling Pools fans made their feelings known as soon as they fell behind, making a path to get as close to the dugouts as possible.

Boss Craig Harrison was in the line of fire. The pressure is on the manager, but do they have the finances to be able to make a change?

The manager said: “I understand the frustrations, we’ve not won as many games as we should and I would never, as manager of this club hide from the facts. I’m not a coward, I’m accountable and the frustrations are there for all to see.

“It’s life and how it is. If things aren’t going well you have to accept that – it’s not all roses and rainbows, it’s the situation we are in.

“We have a home game to come now and we have to look at it. I’ve emphasised in the dressing room that emotions are running high and we will analyse it again on Wednesday and Thursday. >We can’t feel sorry for ourselves and we go again on Saturday. .The only way to make a difference is to relay information back to the players and be positive.

“We are closer to the bottom now, football brings pressure and we have to try and win games and put out of our head all the other things going on. Worry about that and it’s in the mind then it can paralyse you.’’

Michael Woods had the first opening on five minutes, Pools’ top scorer breaking from deep and firing a low shot wide.

But Pools were slack in the opening 20 minutes, as they never settled and were put under plenty of pressure from a vibrant home side who were out to impress new boss Jamie Fullarton.

Chances on goal, at both ends however, were scarce.

A home corner flew across the face of goal and wild swipe by Ben Tomlinson saw the home striker miss the ball.

Pools went close when a long throw in from Scott Harrison – one of many launched in from the centre-half – was headed on by Jake Cassidy and Devante Rodney was denied a goal by some covering defending from Scott McManus.

Woods was the third Pools player to be booked in the first-half when he was yellow carded for a foul on Cliff Moyo, a soft call from County Durham referee Marc Edwards when Woods had every right to challenge for a ball he was chasing in the area.

Pools in the first-half were guilty of bypassing their midfield and going direct from back to front. Long balls were hit towards Cassidy, but he had little support and was too isolated up front.

The opening of the second-half was a better one for Pools as they got more support to Cassidy, with more bodies pushed forward.

A curling Adams set-piece was met by Cassidy in the area, but he planted his angled header wide of the far post.  It was Pools’ only clear chance of the night.

But The Shaymen started to come back into the game, putting the back four under pressure.

It didn’t take long for them to crumble. As the ball bounced around on the edge of the area, a shot from Nathan Hotte from the edge of the area took a firm deflection and spun across goal, bouncing in off the inside of the post.

And two minutes later it was game over.

Scott Loach saved, but only parried into the middle of the area and Tomlinson’s header looped over the keeper into the net.

Once again, the soft underbelly of Pools defence let them down. Not for the first time this season, and it won’t be the last either.

When Pools beat Halifax at Victoria Park back in November, the Shaymen were absolutely woeful. Pools weren’t quite as bad, but they pushed them very close.