Hartlepool Mail's Joe Ramage shares reaction to Hartlepool United's 1-1 draw with Kidderminster.
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00:00 So could Hartlepool United back it up on a cold Tuesday night in Kiriminster?
00:05 That was the question that was faced with them after what was a terrific afternoon against York City at the weekend.
00:10 Ultimately the answer was no, as they had to settle for a draw 1-1 here at Agbroost Stadium.
00:15 It was after the perfect start for Hartlepool, again they scored inside the opening ten minutes,
00:19 but despite playing the team bottom of the National League at the moment,
00:23 who'd only scored 12 goals heading into the game, they conceded yet another set-piece,
00:27 and in the end they couldn't find that elusive second goal despite quite a number of chances in the second half as they had to settle for a draw.
00:34 It was a bit of a difficult one for John Askey to analyse in the end because there was clear frustration due to that goal from a corner,
00:40 as there would be yet again another set-piece that Hartlepool's undoing.
00:45 It seems no matter what they do on the training ground at the moment, it's just not paying off on a match day.
00:49 But Askey was more glass half full rather than glass half empty at the full-time whistle.
00:54 He was keen to stress how he felt he dominated the game.
00:57 There were plenty of chances where on another night they might have taken all three points by a comfortable margin.
01:02 I guess that's the problem with Hartlepool at the moment because on another night,
01:06 that is what's separating them from teams at the top of the table, I should say,
01:09 because on another night those teams at the top of the table haven't taken the lead as early as what Hartlepool did.
01:14 They probably would have gone on and cemented that game and taken it away from a kid in mid-side who were clearly lacking on confidence.
01:20 You could see in the first half how they were struggling in front of goal and how their goal tally was only 12 going into it.
01:26 But after that start, they couldn't really press at home.
01:31 They dominated for about 20 minutes or so after the goal, which came courtesy of Tom Crawford.
01:36 On his 100th appearance, I thought he was very good, particularly in that first half.
01:40 He was the architect for the goal.
01:41 He linked well with Chase Hastie on the edge of the area.
01:43 He followed Hastie around on the edge of the box, got it back on the right and then his low cross was turned in to his own net by Rhys McNally.
01:49 From there, they should have really gone on and kicked on from it.
01:53 It's the third time that they've scored early since they've come back from that little break.
01:56 They did it against Epsley, they did it on Saturday against York and they did it again tonight inside the opening 10 minutes.
02:01 But they've only won one of those games, which is a little bit of a concern.
02:04 But it's again, it's those set pieces, isn't it?
02:07 From that goal, they dominated until about the 20th minute and then they kind of took the foot off the gas.
02:15 I just wonder whether there was a little bit of complacency in there.
02:17 I don't know if he didn't reference it, but it felt as though that was the case because they were so comfortable in the game
02:23 that it just felt as though a second goal was a matter of time.
02:26 And then all of a sudden, they just gave the ball away a little bit too cheaply on occasions.
02:30 Gave Kidderminster a bit of an incentive to get the ball out of the box.
02:32 There was a free kick from the right, Jack Lambert, former Darlington man, he whipped one in for McNally who headed over.
02:37 And that was a bit of a warning sign.
02:39 And then the goal came from a corner, Lambert had won the corner from a shot from the edge of the area.
02:44 He took the corner and there was Omari Morgan-Smith unchallenged at the front post.
02:49 And he just glanced it beyond Joel Dixon to make it 1-1.
02:52 And then it was actually the home side who finished the first half the stronger for me.
02:55 Could have gone in in front with McLean, lovely ball inside from Lambert again.
03:00 And he was 1-1 with Dixon. He saved well at his near post.
03:03 For me, I think John Askew would have been a little bit frustrated at half-time
03:06 because his side had allowed that game to get away from them when they were in such control.
03:11 They started the second half quite brightly.
03:14 Callum Cook, he started coming into the game a little bit more terrific on Saturday.
03:18 It was a little bit quiet in the first half but then he kicked into gear a bit after the break.
03:22 Crossing for Crawford who headed wide.
03:24 But Kiddermans were still a little bit of a threat.
03:26 They got in down the right again through McLean.
03:28 His low ball across to Ashley Hemmonds who should score.
03:31 He was only five or six yards out on mark at the back post.
03:35 Full credit to Joel Dixon, he made a terrific save.
03:37 But from a striker's point of view, he should have put that away.
03:41 That was a bit of a letter for Hartlepool.
03:43 From there, they kind of kicked into gear again.
03:45 They stepped it up and it was a bit of a wake-up call.
03:47 From the hour mark, they did dominate. They were in control of possession.
03:51 They created a lot of good chances.
03:53 Amani Diassouria had three of them, really.
03:56 Certainly two that he would have backed himself to score.
03:58 One from a Brodie Patterson cross on the left which he headed at the near post.
04:02 It was one of those where if he just glanced it into the corner,
04:05 he would have probably found the back of the net.
04:07 But he got a little bit too much on it and went wide at the front post.
04:09 Then a second one later on, David Ferguson again down the left.
04:12 Cross looped up in his favour and felt there were only six yards out.
04:16 The keeper did well to save it.
04:17 But Amani Diassouria would have probably backed himself to score from there.
04:20 That's kind of how it went for them for the rest of the second half.
04:23 A little bit of frustration in front of goal.
04:25 Jake Hastie, he brought a good save from the goalkeeper.
04:28 He curled one wide as well later on.
04:30 They just couldn't really find that elusive breakthrough.
04:32 It ends up being a bit of a frustrating night.
04:34 Before the weekend, would you have taken four points out of two away games?
04:37 Possibly, but given how well Saturday was,
04:40 this was the one that they really needed to follow up and win.
04:42 Unfortunately, they didn't, which put a little bit more pressure on that game
04:45 against Bromley on Saturday.
04:46 Finish Kidding Mr. One, Hartlepool One.