Moors aren’t merrier after Pools victory SOLIHULL 0 HARTLEPOOL 1
FOURTH PLACE in the National League table, and only one defeat in ten – things are looking sharp for Hartlepool so far this season.
Not, perhaps, as sharp as Liam Noble. The stand-in captain, top scorer and yesterday’s matchwinner sported a horrific new haircut.
Kit man Nathan Porritt was the designated hairdresser on Friday evening.
If Noble can produce winners like this every week, then who cares how bad his haircuts are?
With five goals to his name so far this campaign, the former Sunderland trainee and Carlisle midfielder won yesterday’s clash with a fine 25-yard strike as Pools saw off the ten-men home side.
His manager Matthew Bates admitted: “Liam’s goal was very good again. He’s a quality player.
“He is one of those who will always want the ball, put his foot in, even if he’s having a bad time he wants it.
“He gets on with it and then he goes and bangs it in the top corner.
“He’s a good leader, captain at the moment, and great for me to bounce ideas off.
“I don’t know about his haircut – am I happy or not? I said to him he had better have a good game with a haircut like that.
“Now he can keep it as long as he wants!”
Moors had not lost at home in 17 previous games. However Solihull is proving a rewarding place for Pools, who also won last season.
A two-footed lunge on midfielder Nicky Featherstone by Kyle Storer saw the home midfielder red-carded.
But for the 15 minutes left of the first half before the break, Pools never adapted to facing reduced numbers.
Moors regrouped and left one up front, two defensive banks of four proving hard to break down and frustrating Pools.
But Bates reorganised his squad during the interval, and his tactical adjustments paid off
Pools started to stretch the opposition, making their man advantage count as they pressed higher, forcing the home side on the back foot.
Featherstone should have scored after Niko Muir’s effort was saved, instead from the follow up he put the ball wide.
But shortly afterwards, Noble took hold of the ball, picked his spot and fired home.
And, while during their opening games this season, Pools struggled to see games out as they dropped late points against both Braintree and Harrogate Town, this time they showed again how they have progressed.
They were never under pressure and it was Bates’ side who looked like adding a second.
Ryan Donaldson struck a fine volley which came back off the crossbar, before Peter Kioso – again impressive in the threeman defence – was unlucky not to score, his low shot kept out by home goalkeeper Ryan Boot, on loan from Port Vale.
Bates added: “It’s pleasing, but you can always be more pleased. It’s hard to play against ten men at times, they sat in and changed system and we had all the possession, but didn’t move it quick enough.
“We didn’t get it wide and open them up and we shuffled it around. a bit to open them up more and it worked.
“The final ball was letting us down, we had to move them across the pitch. Play one or two touch and get the ball into Niko’s feet – pin the defenders down and play off that.’’