Pools throw it away in last five minutes HARTLEPOOL 1 MACCLESFIELD 2

HOME defeat number five of the season, more points dropped at Victoria Park.

Yet losing at home to Macclesfield in the manner they did – conceding two goals in the last five minutes to throw away a game in which they were in complete control of – defied all logic.

But Pools don’t really do things normally. Just when they appear to have got to grips with the National League they fumble and fall.

Make no mistake, this was a shocking defeat. Macclesfield may have the best away record in the division, but they were decidedly average.

Pools were the better team for 85 minutes. Victory was all but assured, until the calamitous last five minutes.

After going one-up, Pools had chances to get more. A second goal would have finished off the visitors who rarely threatened.

It didn’t arrive, Pools, confident in possession and on the attack, squandered too many openings. And how they paid the price. The soft underbelly which this team possesses was too evident. The defence started sitting deeper, inviting pressure.

Macclesfield said thank you very much and scored twice.

After a lengthy dressing room lock-in, Pools boss Craig Harrison emerged for his interviews after 7pm to say: “It’s frustration more than anything else. Take away four minutes at the end and we played well – chances on the front foot, being aggressive.

“Then we haven’t done our jobs well, basic jobs, nothing special or out of the ordinary. Just what we are after and the two occasions we didn’t we are punished.

“If we have to work harder and longer to make them better then we will. Whatever we have to do we will do. That’s the situation we are in.”

Two minutes in and defender Keith Lowe pushed a deep corner wide at the far post as Pools had an early scare.

But Macc lacked adventure after their promising opening.

Pools played with some energy and tempo on the front foot, as the visitors allowed Pools to build from the back. Some honest graft from Connor Newton and the recalled Jack Munns put the visitors under pressure at the back, but openings came to little.

When Rhys Oates had a chance to shoot, he scooped his effort some 50 feet in the air and over the stand to everyone’s amusement.

Pools took the lead on 38 minutes.

Jake Cassidy broke down the right flank and picked out Michael Woods. The midfielder was loitering in the area and able to crack a low angled finish across keeper Shwan Jalal.

The lead was in doubt two minutes later. As Pools failed to clear, Burgess’s shot from 20 yards was heading for the net, before keeper Loach dived to his right to push it out.

Macc were out early for the second-half and were almost soon two down. First Carl Magnay’s shot was blocked and then a storming run from Woods ended in the area when he just simply ran out of gas.

Macc still failed to really trouble Loach, while Jamal was busy keeping out shots from Connor Newton and Munns, the latter also curling a shot wide after being teed up by Magnay.

But the visitors stole a leveller on the break on 85 minutes as the Pools defence opened up.

A low ball was fizzed across the face of goal by Elliott Durrell and Ryan Lloyd slid in to convert for an unlikely leveller.

And minutes later, Macc stole it. As a header came back off the bar, Lowe was on hand to nod in the simplest of winners.