NO QUARTER CONCEDED AS MAGPIES ARE DENIED
A SATISFIED Jamie Vermiglio felt his Chorley side just shaded an encounter which did neither side any good in arresting their early-season form.
Mark Kitching’s effort rattled the crossbar, while Gavan Holohan squandered a golden opportunity in stoppage time for Hartlepool.
Vermiglio told The NLP: “We’ve put in a strong performance against a good side and I’m pleased with a clean sheet after recent setbacks.
“Hartlepool grew into the game after our positive start and had some good chances late on. It was a very good competitive game.
This was an extremely hard-fought and tough workout in the heat for both teams and neither was prepared to yield in a full-bloodied contest.
First-half exchanges were often untidy, with too many final balls misdirected. The greatest threat to either goal came after 15 minutes when a Matt Challoner cross left Ntumba Massanka with a simple near-post finish, but he skewed his shot wide from a couple of yards.
A drinks break on the half-hour did nothing to alter the pattern of play. Marcus Carver worked himself an opening for Chorley, but his low angled drive was easily dealt with by the diving Ben Killip.
The interval arrived without a single testing shot on goal from the visitors.
A competitive second half produced an energy-sapping battle with Chorley making much of the running. But Pools were always a threat on the break and Mark Kitching rattled the near post when allowed too much time and room to shoot.
In the Magpies’ purple patch around the hour mark, Josh O’Keefe had a well-placed header tipped around the post by the diving Killip and then Massanka’s goal-bound effort was blocked by a defender in the jaws of the goal.
For the visitors, Gime Toure fired just too high after a penetrating run. For Chorley, Scott Leather had a strong effort charged down in the box following a square pass from a free-kick.
Hartlepool came on strongly in the closing stages and Billy Crellin had to be alert to tip over a teasing shot from Luke James. But Gavan Holohan wasted Pools’ best chance of the game shooting wide with just Crellin to beat.
Pools boss Craig Hignett commented: “We didn’t play particularly well but it was important we took something from the game.
“The clean sheet was pleasing. I thought we were a bit nervy early on and we couldn’t find any consistent rhythm.
“But we showed a lot of character to dig in for a point.”
and Parry got the final touch with his thigh from three yards.
Key to Woking’s success was dealing with Moors’ balls up to Paul McCallum and Danny Wright, who was substituted with a hamstring injury in the firsthalf and replaced by Nathan Blissett.
McCallum did find the net in the first period but was adjudged to have controlled the ball with his arm.
“I’ve seen it back and it didn’t hit his hand, he brought it down on his chest, swivelled and volleyed it in, it’s a great finish,” said Solihull Moors manager Tim Flowers. “I just don’t understand what he’s seeing. It would have been a goal we ill-deserved but it certainly would have knocked the stuffing out of them right on half-time.”
Moors’ firsthalf woe was added to when playmaker Jamey Osborne also hobbled off with a calf injury.
“I was going to change it at halftime anyway,” Flowers added. “We got a response at 2-0 but it’s easy isn’t it? We carved out six, seven, eight absolute gilt-edge chances and we missed the target with most of them. Although I thought we were better second half and created a lot of chances I didn’t really enjoy watching us play.”
Indeed, Moors were much-improved in the second period but squandered chance after chance. After Tarpey had arrowed a shot wide from a narrow angle, McCallum rounded Craig Ross but hit the side netting and then Blissett fired over.
Woking tried to spring on the counter but couldn’t find a crucial pass before Solihull sub Terry Hawkridge struck the post with a bullet from 25 yards.
Then another sub, Mitch Hancox, couldn’t keep his lob down when he should have done better before missing again from close range as time ran out.