AS the rain swamped Hartlepool, perhaps the tide is turning for the town’s football club.

Pools have been on the wrong end of their share of strange refereeing decisions so far this season; last night they were on the right end of one for a change.

Drawing 0-0 at home to Accrington and looking for a breakthrough, they were awarded a penalty which will go down as a soft one.

Stanley also had a man sent-off in the incident, a double bonus for Pools who have now won back to back home games in League Two for the first time this season.

Their win over Cheltenham at the Northern Gas and Power Stadium last time out was their first home win. Now if only they hadn’t shipped an injury time goal to Doncaster on Saturday they would have had seven points from nine.

Pools are 13th in the table, four points from the play-offs, four points from the bottom two.

Now they need to go to Wycombe on Saturday and build on this one.

The good fortune came when Lewis Alessandra’s ball into the area was met by Toto Nsiala and headed at goal, but keeper Elliot Parish saved well.

Referee Richard Clark, however, decreed that centre-half Mark Hughes had fouled Padraig Amond, denying the striker a goalscoring opportunity.

The Town End crowd didn’t appeal for the penalty, none of the players seemed to.

Eventually Nicky Deverdics put Pools in front. Amond, forced to twice run up to take the kick after referee Clark halted his first attempt to book Sean McConville who tried to impede Amond’s run up.

Scoring from the spot at Doncaster last Saturday, Amond’s effort this time was saved. Alessandra had a go at the rebound, then it was Lewis Hawkins turn and his shot was blocked, spinning up for Nicky Deverdics to beautifully volley in.

The words of Stanley boss John Coleman could easily have been from Hignett on other occasions this season.

He said: “I don’t understand how a man can be sent off for denying a goalscoring opportunity when a man had a header to score and misses it.

“Maybe the rules have changed between quarter to eight and ten o’clock.

“I feel like someone has broken into my house. Our players are seething at the sense of injustice.’’

The Pools boss, however, and as is a victorious managers’ prerogative said: “Penalty was for a pull on Podge – a good spot form the ref as Toto was behind him.

“It looked to me as if Podge was going to get there, maybe we’ve had some consistency from referees after Barnet.

“We have had some awful decisions against us this season so to get one is good. Does it even itself out? I don’t know and we have had some awful decisions against us and maybe this is going in our favour.’’

Pools played a 3-5-2 formation last night, and they started shakily.

Their passing from the back was a bit errant, but improved as the game progressed.

Matthew Bates lost his footing and striker Billy Kee was presented with a simple chance, only to miss from close range.

Stanley’s next chance was also passed up by calamity Kee. Omar Beckles curled a pass around the defenders for the striker who again missed the target.

Pools then got Alessandra on goal, and angled shot was kept out by the legs of keeper Elliott Parish.

Kee, on the half hour, tapped simply wide from six yards.

Pools were finding chances hard to come by as they hesistated too often in front of goal.

A header from defender Hughes was looping under the bar before Padraig Amond headed it away from danger.

After the goal and the dismissal, Pools had plenty of the ball, but with two minutes to go had a scare.

Nicky Featherstone lost his footing, Scott Brown was in on goal and only keeper Trevor Carson denied him a leveller.

Pools then kept the ball, passed through the defence and Amond set up Alessandra to tap in his second goal in as many home games.

Hignett added: “Plus points are a clean sheet and we scored two goals to win at home again. Everyone feels a bit better about themselves, we look better in the table and all is positive.

“We have played better than that this season and lost and finally we are getting a bit of luck.

“We have played three at the back and kept a clean sheet and for the most part of it, it worked. There’s things to tidy up, moving the ball about.

“At half-time we said we play all the football and don’t shoot. It’s not something we practice as we practice shooting all the time in training and we can’t score the perfect goal all the time.

“We had four or five good chances to pull the trigger first-half and it has to change.

“I’m pleased for the fans to come and see another home win.’’