Daddy of all equalisers for Luke seals a happy week
SUTTON UTD 2 HARTLEPOOL 2
LUKE James showed just who’s the daddy by grabbing a point for resurgent Hartlepool at promotion-chasing Sutton United.
The Pools striker has enjoyed some week – called up by England C for their international, he is going to be a dad for the second time and now his third goal of the season clinched a deserved and exciting draw at Gander Green.
His well-finished volley not only completed a memorable week for the run-all-day forward, it completed a magnificent fightback.
Pools looked to be staring at a first away defeat since Craig Hignett took charge at the Super 6 Stadium after a goal in each half from Roarie Deacon and Gime Toure put the Londoners ahead.
But the recalled Mark Kitching pulled one back on 65 minutes with his first goal for the club before James found the net 10 minutes later.
Pools, unrecognisable from the side managed by Richard Money, could have even gone on to win it only for leading scorer Liam Noble to fail to convert a glorious 88th-minute opportunity. It is now only one defeat in six since Hignett took charge and James admitted it could so easily have been a win.
“We could have come away with a 10-9 win,” smiled the striker. “But a 2-2 on the road? You take that. Even at 2-0 down we never felt out if it.
“There is a good character in the squad – we are a close-knit group and that showed.
“We could easily have gone on to win it and it was a shame we couldn’t get a third. I think we probably deserved it.”
Pools did everything but score in a frantic first-half spell with Myles Anderson seeing a header hit the bar, another cleared off the line while home keeper Ross Worner saved from Josh Hawkes, who also failed to convert from a narrow angle.
Sutton took full advantage of those let-offs by going ahead on 27 minutes when Deacon beat Scott Loach from the edge of the area after getting on the end of a ball over the top.
That wasn’t the end of the excitement with Nicke Kabamba seeing a chance cleared off the line while he rescued Pools by doing the same thing on the away line.
After the interval, Loach kept Pools in it with some great work but he was powerless in preventing Toure sweeping in Sutton’s second in the 56th minute from the edge of the box.
Pools were back in it inside 10 minutes, although Kitching’s first goal had more than an element of luck as he played a cross towards the back stick with the ball deceiving Worner and ending up in the net.
Now the reds had the wind in their sails and James brought matters level after good work by Nicky Featherstone.
James was then denied by the goalie, Kabamba volleyed over and Noble could not convert after excellent play by sub Luke Molyneux but a draw was the least Pools deserved.
SUTTON UNITED: Worner, Bennett (Dobson 85), Thomas, Davis, Collins, Beckwith, Bolarinwa (Williams 76), Eastmond, Beautyman, Deacon, Toure (Ayunga 80). Subs (not used): Green, Bellikli Goals: Deacon 27, Toure 56 Booked: Bennett, Collins, Beautyman HARTLEPOOL UNITED: Loach, Donaldson, Cunningham (Molyneux 66), Kerr, Anderson, Kitching, Featherstone, Noble, Hawkes, James, Kabamba. Subs (not used): Catterick, Amos, Hawkins, Muir. Goals: Kitching 65, James 56. Booked: Anderson, Hawkes, Noble REFEREE: Paul Howard ATTENDANCE: 1,923