Moore is in no real mood to complain

A NEW contract signed on Friday, a first win of the season to follow the next day – it’s been a happy start to the new season for Ronnie Moore.

After his heroics in keeping Hartlepool United in the Football League last season, the veteran boss was rewarded with an improved long-term deal.

And, while his side were rather fortunate to beat Morecambe, who twice hit the woodwork, Moore wasn’t complaining.

“I thought it was entertaining – good crowd, great atmosphere,” he reflected. “We were better side first half, they were second.We changed to three up front and it caught up with us later on in the second half, there’s things to work on but it was promising and I can’t ask for much more.

“We rode out luck a bit then they hit the bar and our keeper made a great save to keep it out. We will play worse and win, play better and lose.

“The pleasing thing, as always, was a clean sheet. The keeper was on top form and with that sort of effort and work we will be good.”

Moore has signed ten new players this summer and two of them, strikers Rakish Bingham and Billy Paynter, linked up to score the goals for their new side.

After Ryan Edwards cannoned a header off the crossbar, Pools took the lead.

Michael Woods’ shot was saved, Bingham picked up the loose ball and crossed for Paynter to nod in his 100th Football League goal.

At the other end, Jamie Devitt should have levelled before the break, he beat the offside trap, rounded keeper Adam Bartlett but fired wide.

Then Lee Molyneux poked wide of an open goal from eight yards after being teed up.

Bingham got in behind the back four, beating full back Laurence Wilson but failed to score.

He made no mistake when Paynter’s deft chip played him and he drilled low under Roche for a fine finish for a debut goal.

There was still time for Kevin Ellison to crash against the underside of the bar and Shrimpers’ boss Jim Bentley said: “They took their chances, and we never. We’ve had enough chances to win more than one game today. “We were a little unlucky. We’ve hit the crossbar twice, had a goal disallowed and got into some great areas.

“We can't be too downhearted. We’ve created enough chances to win the game.

“Performance-wise, we were very good.We were away at a tough place so it was decent enough.”

Bentley revealed, too, that there are concerns about skipper Peter Murphy, who was withdrawn after the 11th minute. He said: “It looks like a bad knee injury.”