Hartlepool Mail reporter Joe Ramage shares his verdict on Hartlepool United's 2-1 National League defeat at FC Halifax Town.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 Hartlepool United's slide continued here at the Shear tonight as they were beaten 2-1
00:05 for the second time in just a couple of days against Halifax Town. Backing up Saturday's
00:09 defeat at Aldershot with another defeat here. The result was season dropped to 12th in the
00:13 National League table and they are now sitting five points away from those play-off places
00:17 as things just continue to come unstuck for John Askey's side.
00:22 Goals from Max Wright and Adam Senior were enough to see the home side through after
00:26 Emanuel Diasurie had scored his 10th goal of the season to get Hartlepool back into
00:30 things just before half-time. Diasurie scored on his old stomping ground. He was the pantomime
00:35 villain all night as he was getting booed from the home crowd. He got Hartlepool back
00:39 into things after Wright had given Halifax what was a deserved lead after they really
00:44 upped the tempo after an opening 15 minutes or so which was quite an entertaining game.
00:49 Hartlepool started reasonably well. Joe Gray with an effort off target. Halifax themselves
00:53 having a couple of chances with Hoddy and Ali. Ali in particular bringing a really good
00:59 save from Pete Jamieson. Blow down to his left. But as the half wore on Halifax really
01:03 sort of forced the issue and it felt as though a goal was coming and Hartlepool were struggling
01:07 to get out and Halifax sensed that and it was set pieces again which Hartlepool's undoing.
01:12 There were a couple of corners coming into the box that they struggled to deal with and
01:16 it was sixes and sevens at the back at times. Eventually Halifax did make the breakthrough.
01:21 Someone from the right came in to Wright at the near post and he just got ahead of his
01:25 man and he was able to guide an effort towards the near post through a crowd of bodies. He
01:28 took a deflection on the way as well to wrong foot Pete Jamieson of sorts and nestled into
01:32 that bottom corner. At that moment you would have been forgiven for thinking that Hartlepool
01:35 might have gone under, in particular after what had happened at the weekend where they
01:38 conceded two goals in the space of 43 seconds I think it was. But instead they fought back
01:43 into it and they found a way back into the game as well through De Azzurri. About five
01:47 minutes later, corner themselves, Featherston's ball in, sort of looped up into the air and
01:52 then there was De Azzurri, he pounced, it was an instinctive finish, he reacted well
01:56 as the ball fell into the six yard area, fired into the top corner to get Poole's level going
02:01 into the break. Askey was probably relieved to get his side in, like I say a level 1-1
02:05 dilatating that was a chance for them to regroup, refocus and attack the second half but anything
02:10 that he did say at half time wasn't heeded as Halifax came out and absolutely bombarded
02:15 Hartlepool for the first 10 or 15 minutes of that second half. Deservedly went in front,
02:19 they could have scored more, it was chance after chance, Hartlepool just couldn't get
02:22 out, they were sloppy in possession, turned the ball over really easily and Halifax really
02:27 went for the jugular. Like I say they got that goal, again another set piece, corner
02:30 came in and it was similar to De Azzurri's to be honest, ball sort of fell free in and
02:34 around the six yard box, Stingy was on hand, he powered into the bottom corner, Jamison
02:38 no chance and at that point he really did worry for Hartlepool, could have gone under
02:42 like I say Halifax had plenty of chances, Jamison called interaction a number of times
02:46 and they were really on the ropes. Askey turned to his bench and brought Josh Umero on and
02:49 actually it helped, changed the system as well, Umero was involved straight away and
02:54 he brought a really really good save out of Sam Johnson who ended up being the star of
02:58 the show for Halifax in the end because to Hartlepool's credit they did get a foothold
03:02 back in the game, they weathered that storm for 10 or 15 minutes in the second half and
03:06 then they got themselves back into the game and they forced some really good saves from
03:10 Johnson, Umero was twice denied, De Azzurri as well, similar to his goal a free kick got
03:16 floated in, was headed up by Alex Lacey and then it fell to De Azzurri around about the
03:20 penalty spot and he struck it sweetly and you were just waiting for the net to bustle
03:23 but there was Johnson sticking out a strong hand, push it away at the far post. As for
03:29 Umero his first chance came, Tom Crawford did really well on the left, beat his man,
03:33 got to the byline, pulled one in towards the six yard box there, Umero did most things
03:37 right, rolled his man to open up the angle and then he had so much of the goal to shoot
03:41 at but he went for the near post and Johnson saved with his legs. The next one was the
03:44 more difficult chance when he met David Ferguson's cross, it was a really good cross from the
03:49 left, got ahead of his man at the front post, sent it goalwards but Johnson again, right
03:54 place at the right time and Halifax players knew who to go to to thank at the end of the
03:58 game, most of the squad on the pitch went over and thanked Johnson because without his
04:03 interventions Hartlepool would have got something tonight. As it is it's another defeat, more
04:07 frustration, more pressure on John Askey and ended 2-1 to Halifax.