Pool ..........................3
Hampsthwaite.........3
AFTER last week's shock defeat at Beckwithshaw, Pool returned to league action knowing a draw would put them second in the Premier Division again. Hampsthwaite is a very hard place to play against a big, strong, hard-working side who play very direct football.
Pool started the better side and took the lead early on when the combative Matt Healey poked home after good work from Carl Wilson. With Pool playing into the wind and up the slope it was very difficult as the high balls rained down on them.
The home side equalised ten minutes later when a free header was buried into the net and Pool started to rock a bit. Pool lacked the intelligent and controlled midfield play of Andy Staniforth, who broke his leg the previous week and will be sorely missed in the run in.
Two fluke goals, one a cross that caught the wind and a long range lob put the home side 3-1 up. Everybody in the league knows how good Pool can be going forward with pace and movement of the front four and this was evident when Joyce slammed home his 30th goal of the season to give Pool hope for the second-half.
The second-half started very much like the first but with Pool having the wind behind them. They gained the upper hand straight away and it was only a matter of time before the equaliser came and this happened when Taylor latched onto a through ball from Outtersides and hit an unstoppable left-foot drive into the far corner of the net.
Unfortunately the expected rout failed to materialise as wave after wave of Pool attack amounted to nothing. The final whistle came as a relief to the following Pool supporters as it looked as if their team wouldn't score if they had played until midnight.
It is not always possible to play the nice, pretty passing game in certain conditions and Pool would do well to realise this. No Match Point was awarded.
Pool Reserves ...................3
Northallerton T Res...........1
With Pool needing to get back to winning ways they knew that a young Northallerton team would provide them with a tough test.
However, the first half-hour saw Pool completely take control of the game with 100 per cent commitment in the midfield of Singleton, Horsley, Tweedie and Carter. The quick passing and movement provided openings for Pool to exploit the visitors' flat back four and from a corner a perfect cross from Carter was met by Reddington to power the ball past the helpless 'keeper.
From another quality move, involving Dobson and Evans, on the left gave an opening for Horsley, who was felled by an advancing 'keeper, only to have play waved on. The second goal for Pool came from a long goal-kick from Winterburn who found Tweedie in space to run at the defence and then feed the ball to Reddington, who coolly slotted the ball between the 'keeper's legs. Pool then relaxed and after some pressure found an unusually generous Firth who sliced the ball into the Pool net just before the half-time whistle sounded.
The second-half resembled the defence of the Alamo with Newbould and Firth pegged back under constant pressure. Winterburn held firm and produced one quality save to keep Pool in the lead. From an injury to Evans a reshuffle saw Myers brought back to reinforce the defence and Carter slotting in at full-back.
Waite came on and from his cross-field ball released Reddington who rounded the 'keeper to finish his personal hat-trick and give Pool a welcome breathing space. The final 10 minutes saw Pool dominate and totally frustrate a team who clearly have ideas above their standard to which they play
Match Point was shared between Winterburn and Reddington.
Pool 'A' ........................... 3
Tockwith Res.................... 4
Tockwith came to Pool looking to avenge their defeat in the first match of the season, and this they did in style. Conditions could not have been more different with baking sunshine and temperatures in the eighties for the first encounter in contrast with a biting wind and near freezing temperatures for this match.
They soon stamped their authority, a neat through ball catching the Pool defence square for the first goal. A second soon followed and when 'keeper Wilkinson hammered a back pass against the advancing striker to let him in for the third, the game was as good as over.
A second-half goal direct from a corner then sealed Pool's fate, though their commitment against the odds has to be admired.
Their failure to score goals is Pool's basic problem as this inevitably causes frustration, their resulting eagerness to push forward leaving gaps at the back.
At their best, they are perfectly capable of giving any team in the division a game, as has been proved on several occasions.
Hopefully, a couple of bad results will not dampen their undoubted spirit. A sound performance in midfield earned David Groves the Match Point.
Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
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