DOBRA TAKES STEP CLOSER!
ARMANDO Dobra’s early finish at Hartlepool kept leaders Chesterfield on track for a Football League return with the festive period approaching.
The Albanian forward found the bottom corner from just outside the area and that proved to be the difference on a stop-start afternoon at the Suit Direct Stadium.
In blustery conditions and referee Aaron Bannister’s whistle regularly signalling free-kicks and ten yellow cards, not even the runaway leaders could hit top gear.
But Dobra’s fifth goal of the season in the fifth minute kept Chesterfield eight points clear at the top of the National League – and pushed Pools down to 15th and some nine points shy of the play-off zone.
Spireites assistant Danny Webb said: “Whether it is National League or Premier League, to win a league you have to get over speed bumps. This was one of those.
“Whether it is referee decisions or conditions, whatever it is, you have to be ready.
“A clean sheet, great defensive work, Dobs got a great goal and worked his socks off, led from the front. No one gives in in this league.
“We will look at the results and hope to get the gap from eight points to 11, but to be eight clear with two games in hand at this stage is cracking.”
Hartlepool should have been ahead in the first minute. Top scorer Mani Dieseruvwe couldn’t find an open net after he had beaten goalkeeper Harry Tyrer to the ball following a long pass.
Even after Dobra drilled low inside Joel Dixon’s bottom left corner to put the visitors ahead after a failure to deal with a corner, Pools should still have been level at the break.
Dieseruvwe was the man again to get behind the defence. The former Chesterfield striker missed the target when he was faced with just Tyrer to beat.
Hartlepool boss John Askey, whose side have won just one of their last eight league games, said: “I can’t ask for more from the players in terms of commitment. They gave everything they have got and competed with a team I believe will win the league.
“On another day Mani scores two goals and it’s a different game; those were open goals really.
“The first one he slipped and the second he was one-on-one. But he has played well, he scores goals and creates, we can’t knock him.
“If they can put that effort and commitment in then we will win games. We have to do that against the lesser teams. The gale force wind played a part.”
After the restart, Chesterfield controlled most of the possession without seriously testing Pools goalkeeper Joel
Dixon, who was only really asked to hold Ollie Banks’ low effort until the closing stages.
But Hartlepool couldn’t conjure up a bit of magic at the other end either and Askey was booked for complaining when the flag went up at the end as Josh Umerah burst through.