Pools feeling blue after thumping

HARTLEPOOL 2 MAIDENHEAD 4

THE town of Hartlepool may have turned blue this week and that was certainly reflected on the field as Pools’ 13-game unbeaten run at Victoria Park came to a crushing end.

Samuel Barratt’s treble secured Maidenhead United a huge win to keep their National League play-off hopes alive and end Hartlepool’s slim title challenge in the process.

And they did so despite being down to 10-men for more than half the contest after Ryheem Sheckleford was shown a straight red card for a foul on Harvey Saunders before the break.

Sheckleford’s dismissal came just after the visitors had regained the lead following Rhys Oates’ mesmerising solo goal which cancelled out Danilo Orsi’s opener, but they rarely looked like the side with a man less.

Things might have been different had one of the three occasions Pools hit the woodwork gone in their favour but instead they were punished for their defensive frailties.

Dave Challinor was without the suspended Gary Liddle in defence and his presence was missed as early as the seventh minute when Timi Odusina’s loose ball allowed Barratt a sight of goal with his strike deflecting into the path of the unmarked Dan Sparkes in the area but he curled over.

Eight minutes later and the Pools backline weren’t as lucky, as Barratt flicked on a hopeful ball forward which caught out both Odusina and Ryan Johnson allowing Orsi a clear run at goal and he placed beyond Henrich Ravas for his 17th goal of the season.

David Ferguson whipped in a teasing ball for Saunders who came close before the home side got back on level terms through a moment of magic from Oates who picked up the ball on the right and dribbled beyond four Maidenhead players before pirouetting past a fifth and drilling into the corner.

The goal moved Pools into the ascendancy but just as they were fancying themselves to take the lead, they fell behind after Odusina misjudged Jerry Wiltshire’s lofted ball allowing Orsi a sight of goal and his shot cannoned into the path of Barratt who had the simple task of rolling the ball into an empty net.

Hartlepool were given a lifeline three minutes before the break though when Sheckleford was shown a straight red card for a tackle on Saunders much to the disapproval of

Magpies boss Alan Devonshire who was cautioned for his protests. And yet it was the visitors who raced out of the blocks in the second half extending their lead inside three minutes with another simple goal.

A long ball forward from Lovett evaded the Pools defence and allowed Barratt to sneak in behind who unleashed a superb strike low into the bottom corner.

A minute later and Barratt latched onto an identical ball from Lovett this time guiding a looping volley wide. But he didn’t have to wait long for his hat-trick after a Featherstone headed clearance landed at his feet some 20 yards out and he arrowed his strike low into the corner once more to put the game beyond doubt.

Elliott went close again five minutes from time when he headed Featherstone’s corner wide before finally notching a consolation glancing in well from Jamie Sterry’s cross.

But there would be no grandstand finish as Pools suffered back-to-back league defeats for the first time since the beginning of December.

Hartlepool XI: Ravas, Sterry, Johnson, Odusina (Cass ’53), Ferguson, Featherstone ©, Shelton (Williams ’53), Holohan (Elliott ’53), Molyneux, Oates, Saunders

Subs: Donaldson, Francis-angol

Maidenhead United XI: Lovett, Massey ©, Wells, Parry, Sheckleford, Wiltshire, Sparkes (Coley ’89), Ince, Comley, Barratt (Egan ’73), Orsi (Kelly ’77)

Subs: Keetch, Smith