Player praise as Pools boss delighted with bounceback
DAVE Challinor was delighted with his side’s response as they came from a goal behind to beat Yeovil Town at Victoria Park.
The Hartlepool boss had stressed to his players how important it was to bounce back from Tuesday’s defeat at Eastleigh and they did just that through Luke Armstrong and a stoppage-time winner from Gavan Holohan.
“It’s great to win a game in that manner and to bounce back from a disappointing result at Eastleigh” said Challinor.
“I said to the players we’ve not won enough games when we’ve conceded the first goal and thankfully they’ve made a fool of me in that comment.
“It will do the lads the world of good taking all three points from being behind.”
Pools fell behind to an excellent strike from Yeovil’s Tom Knowles in the second half but leading scorer Armstrong was in the right place at the right time to level the scores with his eighth goal of the campaign before Holohan converted from close range at the death.
“We were probably having our best spell in the game, we had an opportunity at the back stick and they go up the other end and score. It puts you on the back foot.
“You’re just waiting for a chance. He’s got a great habit of being in the right place at the right time,” Challinor said of Armstrong.
“It’s another one from just a couple of yards out but a goalscorer’s finish.
The win was Hartlepool’s seventh in a row at Victoria Park and keeps them in the hunt for promotion in the National League.
But Challinor has insisted his side must maintain this kind of form in the second half of the season.
“Putting runs together at this time of the year is important, especially with the amount of games in a short space of time and when conditions are difficult.
“They’re not always pretty games. It’s about getting points. We can certainly play a lot better.
“I think at half time with the conditions and the way the game was going if you’d have offered me a point I’d have probably taken it.
“People would argue that’s not a very good point but these are tough games so to get three points is massively important and sets us up for a tough game on Tuesday.”
CARLISLE missed a chance to climb into the play-off places as they drew 1-1 at Salford City.
George Tanner put the Cumbrians ahead after 11 minutes as they looked to leapfrog their hosts.
But former Manchester United striker James Wilson equalised with 11 minutes left, leaving Carlisle in ninth, albeit with at least two games in hand on every team above them.
Paul Mullin took his league tally to 22 as leaders Cambridge moved four points clear at the top with a 3-0 win at Mansfield.
Mullin netted in the 57th and 65th minutes before Harvey Knibbs scored in stoppage time.
Mark Bonner’s men are four points ahead of second-placed Forest Green having played three games more - Rovers are in action today at Newport.
Cheltenham, a further point back in third, lost 2-0 at home to Bradford, with Andy Cook scoring both goals.
Morecambe moved up to fourth, a point behind Cheltenham, after beating second-bottom Barrow 2-1. Aaron Wildig and Kelvin Mellor scored for the visitors before Scott Quigley’s reply.
Sixth-placed Tranmere also drew at home, being held 2-2 by 10-man Oldham.
Having fallen behind early on to Davis Keillor-dunn’s goal and subsequently seen ex-sunderland flop James Vaughan’s penalty kept out, Tranmere levelled prior to the break through Calum Macdonald.
Oldham had Sido Jombati sent off two minutes after the break and four minutes later Kaiyne Woolery put Tranmere in front.
But they were unable to see out victory, with Dylan Bahamboula bringing things level again with 12 minutes of normal time to go.
Southend remain a point ahead of Barrow in 22nd after a late Shaun Miller goal condemned them to a 1-0 home loss to Bolton.
Port Vale’s first match under Darrell Clarke ended in a 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient. David Worrall gave Vale the lead early in the second half and Daniel Kemp equalised just after the hour mark.
Clarke’s former club Walsall, now with Brian Dutton in charge, also drew 1-1, at Stevenage.
The Saddlers led through a firstminute Caolan Lavery effort before having Liam Kinsella sent off 11 minutes into the second half - Elliott List levelled in the 70th minute.
Crawley beat Colchester 1-0 at home courtesy of James Tilley’s stoppage-time goal.
And Scunthorpe won 3-1 at home against Harrogate. After Devarn Green’s early opener was cancelled out by a Josh March penalty, Ryan Loft and Lewis Spence saw the Iron clinch victory.