RAJ SINGH, newly installed as Hartlepool United chairman, sat in the director’s box as his new team once again flattered to deceive.

Pools laboured in the second-half to a 1-1 draw with Torquay, another bottom four team to avoid defeat at Victoria Park. Pools were lucky to escape with a point.

Previous owners and chairman before him have suffered the same. There’s no bounce at Pools when someone buys the club.

Vince Barker in 1974? Lost to Huddersfield. John Smart? Lost 4-1 in his first game in 1984. Garry Gibson? Lost 2-0 to Huddersfield in 1989. Harold Hornsey? A 0-0 draw at Gillingham in 1994. Ken Hodcroft? 1-1 with Brighton in October 1997. Gary Coxall? 1-1 with Colchester in 2016. Pam Duxbury? 0-1 to Dover back in August.

Owners, like managers, normally take over when things are on a downward spiral. Their task and ambitions have to be raising their fortunes.

Singh’s new team were as poor as normal on Saturday. In the second-half the visitors dominated, Pools unable to fend them off or get out of their own half. Team shape and organisation was limp, a lack of leaders on the pitch evident.

The Gulls were relegated after they failed to convert more than one of their 22 efforts at goal.

Pools have lost ten times at Victoria Park this season, they’ve drawn six and won only seven. Only 27 points from a possible 69.

“Fans have been brilliant here,’’ reflected caretaker boss Matthew Bates. They haven’t had a lot to cheer about and still turn up and all they want to see is a winning football team.

“There will be a big change this summer, it’s needed to be honest. I think for Hartlepool to finish where they are means they need a big change. I have my thoughts on that and let’s see what happens - I don’t want to say yet as I’m only caretaker myself.’’

Bates deserves praise for taking charge of a mess. A club which didn’t know if it would see the season out.

He wants the job permanently and if it wasn’t for him, then Pools would have been in the bottom four.

He engineered an improvement of taking 16 points from a possible 39. Still not good enough, but enough to fend off the drop.

“Raj has said we met and that’s as far as I want to say at the moment, we will see what next week brings. I’ve said I want the job and I don’t think anyone can really question what I’ve done,’’ he mused.

Pools’ limitations were exposed in the second half. A squad low in numbers and short of quality didn’t know how to stop the visitors.

They started well enough, but once Connor Newton was forced off with injury their dynamics altered with their system.

On came Jack Munns, out went the midfield diamond formation. Munns’ arrival meant Pools had him and Ryan Donaldson on the pitch together. Two of Craig Harrison’s most creative summer signings have missed the majority of the season.

But Donaldson doesn’t offer much protection for his full-back, Munns drifted around without getting close to striker Jake Cassidy, who was drifting wide for possession more often than not. That meant Pools had no-one in the area.

Donaldson’s deflected shot gave Pools the lead. A bad call from referee Simeon Lucas, Louis Laing harshly ruled to have felled Rhys Healey Evans in the area, gave the visitors a chance to level.

The penalty from Brett Williams was well-struck, but Scott Loach saved well to his right. He made many more fine stops, repelling the visitors single-handedly.

Loach saved spectacularly from George Dowling. Next up, a close-range header from Reid beat Loach, but came back off the bar.

Loach again infuriated the Gulls – and their 152 fans – with a fine save to deny Reid again.

After Aaron Cunningham was introduced on 65 minutes into midfield, the teenage debutant was harshly red carded 15 minutes later.

A firm and fair tackle saw him win the ball, but the Gulls protested and Lucas made his second wrong call.

Within minutes, the scores were level. Pools, sitting deep in their area as they did most of the second-half, sat off as Rhys Healey finally beat Loach.

The Gulls couldn’t find a deserved winner. As Sunderland were being relegated, one of their former players was emotional as his side dropped into National League South.

Boss Gary Owers admitted: “It’s not the chapter anyone wanted to write in Torquay United’s history, but it’s not the last chapter.’’

Meanwhile, a new chapter opened at Pools. Not that Raj Singh had much to celebrate to begin with.