Brentford 0 Hartlepool United 0

WHEN it comes to loan goalkeepers, Hartlepool United have had their fair share of hits and misses.

On his first performance on Saturday, it’s fair to say Jake Kean is more likely to be in the same classification as Steve Harper and Kevin Poole than Lance Key and Ian Bowling.

Given his opportunity and his Football League debut after a training ground injury put Scott Flinders on the sidelines for three months, the 19- year-old, it’s fair to say, took his chance with both hands – and that’s the manner in which he took pretty much everything at Griffin Park.

From the early stages when he raced off his line to collect his first cross, to the final minutes as he exerted authority while barking orders to his defenders, Kean made a favourable impression.

He helped Pools to a third clean sheet from four away games this season. If only they could be as resolute and obdurate at home.

“I came here not expecting to play, it was more about getting experience of being in and around the first-team, being on the bench and hopefully building towards getting in Blackburn’s first team,’’ admitted Kean.

“I’ve played for the reserves, I’ve not been involved in the first-team there and coming here is hopefully the chance to help me make the step up at Blackburn.

“I’m behind Mark Bunn and Paul Robinson at the club and there’s always the chance of people leaving or getting injured, so you have to be ready for a chance when it comes along.

“This experience is good for me, I just want to do as well as I can and impress. The first 20 minutes was a nice, easy start to the game and helped get my confidence up.

“I made a save before halftime I was pleased with and then towards the end I was just desperate to keep a clean sheet.

“I’ve never seen time move to slowly. I looked at the clock and it said 20 minutes to go, I was thinking ‘come on, come on’ then I looked again after what I thought was 20 minutes further on and it was down to 19.’’ The keeper moved to Pools on the recommendation of the club’s goalkeeping coach Gary Walsh, who worked with the keeper at Derby County.

And Kean admitted the advice of his former Manchester United and Middlesbrough mentor has proved invaluable.

“I came here and I’ve had a week’s training, the lads have helped me settle in well,’’ he said. “I feel for Scott, he hasn’t missed a minute of action since he signed for the club last summer, everyone speaks so highly of him and he’s such a nice lad as well.

“I didn’t know much about Hartlepool before I came, but I’ve done my research since. I know Gary really well from our time at Derby and it’s nice to work with him again.

“He helped get me here and he has played at the top level, he’s someone to learn from.

The things he says to me help massively. He said the other day he made his debut at Aston Villa for Manchester United, it’s a bit different to going to Brentford. There were no nerves, more excitement, I woke up on Saturday morning and thought ‘this is it’. Saturday was what I have worked for and trained for for the last 19 years.’’ There was no need for the Pools’ back four to look after their new keeper, he soon proved he was more than capable of looking after himself.

Some comfortable cross gathering under pressure proved an early boost and he grew from there.

As half-time approached, he stuck out an arm to push a goalbound header over the bar.

And it wasn’t until injury time that he was worried further.

Minutes after racing off his line to collect a cross on the edge of the penalty area, he watched as Nicky Forster poked a volley wide from close range and then saw Sam Saunders curl a free-kick across the far post.

Pools, back at the ground where they survived in League One on the final day of last season, had their chances to win it too.

Gary Liddle shot against the woodwork in the first-half and, before Brentford’s late double chance, Antony Sweeney could have won it.

Latching on to Denis Behan’s deft flick, the midfielder advanced beyond the defence. But as he got to the edge of the penalty area, he opted to shoot early and rolled the ball into the hands of goalkeeper Ben Hamer.

It means the last four meetings between the sides have all been goalless and Pools’ last four trips to Griffin Park have been draws.

Match facts

Booking: Haslam (90, foul)

Referee: Kevin Wright (Huntingdon): Few odd decisions and choices 6

Attendance: 4,710

Entertainment: ✰✰✰

BRENTFORD: Hamer 6; Spillaine 7, Osborne 6 (Forster 77), Balkestein 7, Woodman 5; WESTON 7, O’Connor 5, Diagouraga 6, Adams 6 (Saunders 65, 5); Macdonald 5, Alexander 6. Subs (not used): Lee (gk), Bean, McCracken, Wood, Legge.

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-5-1):

8 KEAN: Solid, confident and assured, a fine first start for the loanee;

6 Austin: Had a combative and running battle with opponent Weston

7 Collins: Back to standard after the previous week’s blip

7 Liddle: Desperately unlucky not to open the scoring and sound defensively

5 Horwood: Didn’t get much behind his clearances at times when he could have done so;

6 Larkin: Some neat touches and put a solid shift in on the right side

5 Sweeney: Really should have won it for Pools in the final minute when he raced clear

7 Murray: Shielded the back four from a deep starting position in the second-half and sprayed the ball around in the first period

6 Yantorno: Showed in the first 30 minutes what he is capable of doing with a bright display

6 Monkhouse: Took up some good positions on the touchline, but delivery let him down at times;

5 Humphreys: Too isolated at times, as Pools failed to get the runners from deep to support him

Subs: Haslam (for Yantorno 68): Joined Murray in sitting ahead of the back four 5

McSweeney (for Larkin 68): Up and down on the right to help Austin out 6

Behan (for Humphreys 77) (not used): Mooney (gk), Hartley, Boyd, Mackay

MAN OF THE MATCH

JAKE Kean – as first starts go, they don’t get any more impressive than this one for the teenage goalkeeper.