TWO LATE GOALS ADD TO POOLS’ ANGUISH
DAGENHAM showed what it’s like to be an in-form side – heaping more misery on out of sorts Hartlepool United.
Trailing 1-0 in the 90th minute, Daggers levelled through Ben Goodliffe and then carved out a dramatic winner in the second minute of time added on through Matt Robinson to complete the great escape.
It’s now six wins from seven for Peter Taylor’s men, while their hosts were left picking the bones off a seventh successive defeat for managerless Pools.
Matthew Bates was sacked in midweek, leaving Craig Hignett in temporary charge as Pools seek a sixth permanent boss in twoand-a-half years.
Hignett said: “It’s a sucker punch, I feel like I’ve been battered. In parts I was so pleased, but it’s remembered for the ending.
“It’s happened a lot to us with a soft underbelly – and it needs addressing, but for 89 minutes we were fantastic.’’
Pools started confidently and after a hopeful penalty shout for a trip on Josh Hawkes was rejected, they were given a 13thminute spot-kick for an innocuous pull on Mark Kitching.
Captain Liam Noble, back in the starting XI after being dumped by ex-boss Bates for disciplinary reasons, made no mistake for his ninth of the season.
The Daggers weren’t offering much going forward, the closest they came was when a low Ollie Harfield shot was deflected just wide by Kenton Richardson.
Bu, eventually, after Pools’ substitute Connor Newton felled Alex McQueen – the Daggers adamant the foul was in the area – the resulting free-kick found Goodliffe, who headed in from close range. Pools piled forward in search of a late winner and forced a dramatic late corner, but once the ball was cleared, the Daggers broke away and when Scott Loach parried a shot from Conor Wilkinson, Robinson was there to tap in. “To score two goals like we did keeps the winning run going,” a delighed Robinson said afterwards. “I was pleased with my goal, a nice header, but there was space created for me at the back post. “We have loads of confidence, which showed at the end by sticking at it. We got one and knew we would go on and win it.’ “We stuck to the gameplan and showed our spirit and resilience to keep going.”