FOR a midfielder with a goalscoring reputation, it's fair to say Darrell Clarke hasn't lived up to his name this season.

After earning a decent career ratio of goals per games, Clarke's had to wait a long time, too long in fact, to break his duck this season.

On Saturday, after 23 games - and 259 days since his last goal - he put his name up in lights.

With Pool two goals to the good against Cambridge, the team directly below them in the table, Clarke wasn't going to miss the penalty he was offered.

And as Clarke's duck was over, so too were the slight doubts and nagging worries which have come with three games without a win.

Who would have thought that three winless games for Hartlepool and there would be talk of an impending crisis? Thanks to this win, Pool are back on top and eight points ahead of third spot.

When Tommy Widdrington was pushed over in the box, everyone's favourite referee Fraser Stretton gave Pool a penalty. Penalty taker Mark Tinkler had just bagged his tenth goal of the season, so offered Clarke the chance to get his first.

"That goal wasn't needed very much was it?" Clarke admitted. "Obviously going on a run like that doesn't help your confidence. Everyone says it's all right and don't worry about it, but I do.

"I've been known to score my fair share and I ended last season with a few goals. Although I've been out on the right people forget to realise it isn't my natural position.

"But I have to do a job out there and I would still like to get my fair share of goals but it hasn't been happening for me.

"It was great of the lads to let me take the penalty so I can't thank them enough. I've never taken one professionally before but I wasn't going to miss.

"I suppose everyone in the stands was thinking 'what's going on here' and expecting me to miss it but it's a big weight off my shoulders.

"People lie if they say it doesn't bother them when they haven't been scoring after getting so many before.''

Clarke's scoring run last season (five in ten games games including a hat-trick against Swansea) came after he reverted back to his preferred central role.

The majority of his time at Victoria Park has been spent on the right and even boss Mike Newell admitted: "He came to me a few weeks ago and said 'do you know I'm a central midfielder?' but I knew that after seeing him playing on the right in my first game at Orient!

"It's been hard for him playing out of position, but he just gets on with it and doesn't complain.

"He is a good bubbly lad and even though there were only a few minutes left you could see a little spring in his step after the goal.''

Clarke added: "It's been hard and even some of the fans now think I'm actually a winger - I'm not. I don't class myself as a winger, but I'm out there - it's either play there or don't play at all.

"I'll always give my all and the fans have been excellent with me since I came here. They could have got on my back this season and I can't thank them enough. Hopefully number two will arrive quicker than number one!

"I think Tinks is going to be the regular penalty taker now, so I'm just grateful for the chance.''

Cambridge were one of the best teams to visit Victoria Park this season and they will be in the end of season shake-up.

They could have been in front when Brian Barry-Murphy was twice easily beaten by Shane Tudor but Anthony Williams and the side-netting saved Pool.

Murphy, however, redeemed himself in the second-half with his best display since moving on loan from Preston.

By then Pool were one-up. Tommy Widdrington's free-kick pinballing around the penalty box before Eifion Williams netted his first goal in six games.

Williams should have made it two in the second half when a wonderful touch from Ritchie Humphreys led to him getting beyond the defence, but 'keeper Shaun Marshall stood his ground long enough to block.

Cambridge had plenty of possession in the Pool half, but Chris Westwood and Graeme Lee weren't going to be beaten and were rocks at the back.

How Pool didn't get a penalty when Marcus Richardson was felled by Andy Duncan, only Fraser Stretton will know.

But there's a few decisions in recent years Pool would like to ask the Nottingham blower about.

Tinkler's goal came when Kevin Henderson and Humphreys worked a short corner which led to the midfielder heading in and when Clarke took the penalty, it was with the ease of someone who had taken them all season.

Result: Hartlepool United 3 Cambridge United 0.