Pool's awesome first half proves not enough

But an hour later, they were brought back to reality.

Pool dominated the first half against Shrewsbury, tearing their fourth-placed visitors apart with football of the highest order, light years ahead of anything usually served up at Victoria Park.

Yet they only had one goal to show for it and how it proved costly when they failed to hit the heights in the second period.

And in the end they needed a late header from Graeme Lee to not only earn a point, but also to save face after such a flat second period.

Pool have lost just once in nine League outings, but if they are to prove that they are a better team than their League placing suggests - and doubtless they are - then opponents have to be killed off.

One goal to the good, Shrewsbury down to ten men and Pool were flying. After the break, however, it was a different story - Pool were flat, the crowd were flat and the visitors ten-men tactics, aided and abetted by pacy Luke Rodgers proved perfect.

On November 20, Halifax arrived at Victoria Park, went both a goal and a man down in the first period and Pool went on to dominate.

Anyone expecting similar was given a sharp shock as Shrewsbury proved what an organised side they are and what a poor team Halifax were as they caught Pool out.

"It was a great first-half performance and we didn't really want half time to come,'' reflected manager Chris Turner.

"We were creating lots of chances, but we were needing the second goal.

"People who have never been involved in football think playing against ten men is easy, but it isn't. You get a lot of time and space, but they get eight men behind the ball and try to catch you on the break and that's what happened here.

"We had the game won, then lost, then we saved it - some of the football we played was excellent. But they are not fourth in the League for nothing.

"They got eight men behind the ball and we showed at Macclesfield how to do it, they showed it on Saturday.

"They will always be a threat with Luke Rodgers up front and this was a game we probably would have lost in the first quarter of the season.

"Maybe they were fortunate to go in only one-down at the break, but we started to look for the winning pass to open them up all the time rather than being patient and playing football.''

Paul Smith is the sort of player who can play a killer pass or cross with his eyes shut. Few players have his ability to beat a man and cross with either foot like the man in the golden boots.

You have to go back a decade to the days of Paul Dalton to find a left winger as effective as Smith. Saturday was just his tenth start for Pool, but already there is an air of expectation around Victoria Park when he gets the ball.

It was from his free kick on the right that Gordon Watson - another class act - scored his tenth of the season when he turned the ball in after Graeme Lee nodded back across goal.

"We've got some excellent players here who are worth coming to watch who play good football,'' said Turner. "Paul Smith is an excellent crosser of the ball and we've got Flash (Gordon Watson) up front to score - what more do people want to see?

"We play good football, create a lot of chances and it's very very good to watch.

"We were inches away from killing the game off, but no teams can dominate for 90 minutes and we took our foot of the pedal a little bit. But we came back and that's the sign of the good team.''

Before Watson scored, Pool could have been four goals to the good.

Darrell Clarke's corner evaded everyone in the penalty area, Ritchie Humphreys met a Smith cross with his head that Ian Dunbavin saved, Clarke skirted around the rotund figure of Gregor Rioch - not an easy task to manage in less than a couple of hours and hit the post and Matt Redmile hacked a Smith cross and somehow it flew wide.

Dunbavin was shown a yellow card for handling outside the area. Some cried for a red card, but Pool could hardly complain after Anthony Williams' let off against Orient.

But from Smith's free kick, Watson scored and 60 seconds later Darren Moss was sent off after his second hack at Smith.

The winger was having a field day and another pin point cross found Watson whose header was tipped over by Dunbavin from eight yards.

A tannoy message for Pool fan Andrew Boyd asked him to go home because his wife had gone into labour. The way Pool were playing it must have been a tough choice for him.

But if he stayed, it can't have taken him long to decide to leave and be at his wife'e side, because the attraction of Victoria Park was no longer there after the interval.

Eleven minutes into the quiet second half Williams palmed out a shot and substitue Karl Murray tapped in.

The nerves even affected Tommy Widdrington, the Pool midfielder who never wastes a pass.

His square ball was intercepted by Rodgers and as he raced away, no-one was going to catch him. Only a great save from Williams kept him out.

But he wasn't to be denied and on another break away he skirted around Lee and shot low across Williams.

Pool left it late, but no prizes for guessing whose corner found Lee to nod in the equaliser.

Pool next go to Mansfield on Saturday and Turner added: "Saturday will be tough, but we have two out of three games at home to come, but if we play football like we did then we will create chances and get opportunities.

"Maybe we should have won this game, but I'm not too disappointed because we were the better team for a large percentage of the game.'

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