Goals:
1-0: Guthrie (63, near post header as he met a right-wing cross)
2-0: Porter pen (79, confidently struck high into the net after Donnelly fouled Guthrie)
2-1: Thomas (83, poked a low finish across keeper Walker after Woods played him in)
Bookings: Dickensen (foul, 26), Woods (foul 57); Wright (kicking ball away 85)
Referee: Ben Toner (Darwen): Fell to pieces as the game went on. Quite what he was doing when he stopped play after a Colchester injury to take the momentum away from Pools is anyone’s guess? 3
Attendance: 3,357
COLCHESTER UNITED (3-4-1-2): Walker 6; Briggs 6, Elokibi 7, James 6; Brindley 6 (Wright 70, 5), Lapslie 7, Garvin 6, Dickenson 6; Murray 6; Porter 7 (Fosu 80), Guthrie 6 (Pyke 90). Subs (not used): Barnes, Vincent-Young, Wynter, Edge.
HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-5-1):
6 Fryer: Plays with a confidence and authority in his penalty area and is a safe pair of hands;
7 Richardson: Never let anyone down and stuck to his task well. Showed no nerves and looked steady
7 HARRISON: Playing as consistent as he has ever done, and is working as a defensive leader in a young and inexperienced back four
6 Walker: Slotted into a defensive role without any fuss, as he again won headers and made interceptions. One lapse when he was caught seeing the ball out of play let him down
6 Donnelly: Like Richardson on the other flank he stuck to his task firmly, without any fuss. Disappointed to get caught out for the penalty;
6 Oates: Used his strength at times effectively and his breaks from deep at pace are useful asset to the midfield
6 Alessandra: Busy and moved around the pitch in search of possession, and looking to play a role on the counter attack
6 Featherstone: Deeper than the others and didn’t have much time to play simple passes in a congested midfield area
6 Woods: Neat slide-rule pass played in Thomas for the goal and, like Featherstone, suffered from a lack of midfield space at times
7 Thomas: Was out on his feet towards the end, and he will have a key role to play in the coming weeks.
Subs:
Hawkins (for Alessandra 79)
Rooney (for Oates 79)
(not used): Smith, Martin, Hawkes, Dudzinski (gk).
MAN OF THE MATCH Scott Harrison: Dominant at the back again, and is proving his worth.
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