Fri 26th & Sat 27th November

[Optimistic Poolie]

9 days before our next league game, and we have two cup games next week, hopefully for the new manager to look at the squad, and hopefully get some form of boost to take us into the league fixtures. Raj needs to act and appoint a manager now.

 

[Chief Rocka]

Needs to be in the building Monday, let them have two free hits in both cups and go from there.

 

[Bottega Don]

Game of two halves dictated by the weather. We were well on top first half with the wind behind us and Bradford were well on top second half with the wind behind them.

Will take a point considering Bradford had the better chances

 

[AR27]

Garbage game between two garbage sides.

 

[Soup Ladle]

To be honest in terms of Hartlepool today had the hallmarks of a team lacking a bit in terms of leadership coming from the top. Unless you are doing what we did when we changed manager last season and doing a full restructuring of the club there's really no reason that you shouldn't have a manager in place now. You should be ok in terms of consolidating though I reckon.

We were absolutely woeful, changed shape about 3 times as well, no belief, confidence or as you say leadership.

There's no one on the pitch or in the dugout to take it by the scruff of the neck. We are sleepwalking to the danger zone.

 

[Optimistic Poolie]

Needs to be in the building Monday, let them have two free hits in both cups and go from there.

100%, as much as a cup run is good financially etc, with two tough fixtures next week, I’d class it as two free hits for whoever is in charge to look at the squad.

 

[Cas]

SHIT

 

[EricSabin]

Cobblers seen this one out well, pretty boring second half really, 0-0 probably the right result, little bit unlucky to lose.

Probably agree with this, no real alarms in the second half. Huge win with Guthrie and McWilliams missing and Etete going off after 20. 3 best players and the spine of the team gone but we really dealt with it well.

Home form is class and up to second.

Also Max Dyche our 18 year old centre half parachuted in for his first league start today was immense. Just like his dad, an absolute battler and he will be a very good prospect.

 

[shoddycollins]

We successfully dragged Walsall down to our level, then hit 'em with a smash & grab. We've been doing that a bit under Millen actually, tidied up our passing a bit, tightened up at the back, still very little in the final third but everyone we play now seems to have their worst game of the season against us. I like to think it's all part of the plan to avoid relegation and not just a coincidence.

 

[Vale on Trent]

Boring game. We won 2-0 without playing well and if I’m honest we didn’t need to play well. Hartlepool offered nothing. I don’t think they had a shot.

We’re still not playing great but it was important that we won that game whatever the performance. We had a lot of players missing as well.

 

[Cas]

""(We) created enough opportunities to win not one, not two, but three football matches.""

He's at it again.

 

[hellogregory]

Today’s game was going the way all our games have recently, playing pretty ok, edging the game but doing absolutely nothing with it.

But this time we managed to nick a goal at the end. Massive goal as we were heading bottom.

Have to say I expected much more from Walsall. Given their recent away form I expected them to really get at us, but they just didn’t. Surely they can’t have played like that on Tuesday night! Don’t think I’ve felt as comfortable at 0-0 since the opening game of the season. 0-0 would have been a huge missed opportunity.

I still think we’re down as our attack simply isn’t good enough and I don’t trust those running the club to invest the required amount in January to solve it. But at least with this win it might mean we’re not cut too far drift by January 1st. We’ll still go down but at least we can be happy for a week.

 

[AdamStag]

Been out and about so it’s amazing to see we’ve won away again, totally unexpected about the dire loss to sutton.

Sounds like clough made the necessary changes and we’ve won!

 

[kieran_vale]

Just to add I’m really pleased for Ryan Johnson to be part of a defence keeping a clean sheet today. Admittedly the back line wasn’t hugely tested but he acquitted himself well I thought. Do wish some of our fans wouldn’t be so quick to write someone off as a bum after barely a handful of minutes on the pitch but hopefully he can kick on from this now.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Very poor from us, lots of sideways passes, fucking about at the back, crap defending, no composure in the box. Standard away shite.

You forgot to mention our super keeper.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

2-0

I'm off to stand under a tree and hope Storm Arwen does the rest.

Can you invite Goodwin to stand with you.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

Yeah the squad just isn’t good enough. It’s not just the results that is worrying, the performances more often than not have been really poor, that’s my biggest concern

The thing is we created enough chances today to score 2 goals, at Swindon we created enough to score 2 possibly 3.

 

[RiftHouseLad]

2-0

I'm off to stand under a tree and hope Storm Arwen does the rest.

Forgot can you also take Killip because today he made a couple of bread and butter saves, but the rest of his games was dross.

 

[AdamStag]

4 wins out of 5 for mansfield, and a win over sunderland in the fa cup and over newcastle in that stupid cup.

It’s nice to see we’re progressing given how battered we were by injuries which weee ridiculous.

 

[valefan16]

Huge win for us to stop the rot and relatively comfortable considering the fears at 2pm.

Huge credit to the boys today, any team loses their two best strikers (we actually had 3 of the 4 out), their best central midfielder (and arguably the divisions) and their best centre half at this level and it’s usually catastrophic in terms of chances of winning a game so a testament to the lads who came in today.

First half was dull, really dull, Hartlepool had the win first half but didn’t really take any advantage of that to put us under any pressure for periods and whilst playing some good football it was mostly around the back and central parts and were extremely toothless.

Somehow in the turgid half of football we managed to open the scoring with probably the only real chance either side had! Amoo I think it was managed to chase a ball and hook a cross back as it was about to run our for a good kick and (summing up the first half) Garrity completely scuffed the simple chance but it went in anyway! If a goal summed up a half that was it.

Second half we had the wind, strangely the keeper decided to boot their goal kicks long this half despite the wind against them which was weird but we were far better second period and kept probing without doing enough to get the second until late on, Gibbons had a great chance to score but their keeper saved well and another strike came in which the keeper parried and somehow Jones couldn’t get enough of a toe to get the power to roll into the open net from six yards!

In all this Hartlepool had what looked a great chance to score but it was blazed over before Pett scored a superb second to finish the tie in injury time with a lovely run and finish, rare bit of quality in the tie.

Hartlepool looked very soft to me, probably explains their away day woes as they were even less physical than we were and that says something, very toothless and as we know Cullen struggles away from home and didn’t get a sniff, glad to see him playing regular football though and wish him the best.

Both sides played some decent football although Hartlepool over played at the back at times which against the pace we had up front often caused their own problems.

It’s a huge win, we needed that after two or three poor results and hopefully gets us back on track. Cup break now so hopefully get game time into players and obviously get Smith and Conlon back, hopefully Lloyd and Taylor as well by the time we head to Bristol Rovers.

Huge blow to lose Proctor for more games now with Wilson out so need Rodney to really step up and find last seasons form.

Gibbons was his usually outstanding self today and was chuffed for Garrity who was brave enough to come out Tuesday and looked really upset at how things had gone, he was decent today.

I thought Johnson had his best game for us today so hopefully he can push on.

 

[The Terminator]

I can't stand games like that when the conditions basically level everything out, both us and Northampton created very little from open play. Both sides ended up over hitting balls, the ball was swirling in the air and neither side found anything in the final third apart from set plays.

You're literally sitting there hoping you don't concede the first goal, because your opponents will have something to hold onto in the conditions.

Looking back, we needed Tom James free kick to go in, good save that by Roberts.

Difficult to fully judge Northampton because the conditions dictated how both teams play, but they got the goal and looked very good at defending their lead which bodes well for them for the rest of the season.

Our first defeat for nearly 2 and a half months, it has been coming away from home, we've rode our luck once or twice and today against one of the leagues better sides it ran out. The draw Tuesday night when we should've won is what frustrates me the most, days like today can go either way.

Still likely 3 players short to fully be able to cement our place in the top 7, now have 4 home games on the spin in all comps to try and build something again.

 

[EricSabin]

I can't stand games like that when the conditions basically level everything out, both us and Northampton created very little from open play. Both sides ended up over hitting balls, the ball was swirling in the air and neither side found anything in the final third apart from set plays.

You're literally sitting there hoping you don't concede the first goal, because your opponents will have something to hold onto in the conditions.

Looking back, we needed Tom James free kick to go in, good save that by Roberts.

Difficult to fully judge Northampton because the conditions dictated how both teams play, but they got the goal and looked very good at defending their lead which bodes well for them for the rest of the season.

Our first defeat for nearly 2 and a half months, it has been coming away from home, we've rode our luck once or twice and today against one of the leagues better sides it ran out. The draw Tuesday night when we should've won is what frustrates me the most, days like today can go either way.

Still likely 3 players short to fully be able to cement our place in the top 7, now have 4 home games on the spin in all comps to try and build something again.

I think the air should be credited in the possession stats

 

[leedsvaliant]

Poor game today in horrible conditions. Hartlepool were exactly the sort of team we needed to play, lightweight, no presence up front, overplaying it rather than getting balls in the box. Cullen is a decent footballer but he's got zero threat about him. Hartlepool passed it around quite nicely but just didn't have anything up front. Great support though on an absolutely freezing day. Continued singing and jumping about even when the result was inevitable.

We did what we had to. We've got 2 wingers playing as our central strikers. Missing our best player and arguably our best defender too. We just need to scrape a few points until our strikers return. We'll struggle with any threat up front but our midfield will keep us in games.

We'll struggle in December against some of the better teams but just need to stay in touch.

 

[leedsvaliant]

What's with that short goal kick routine Hartlepool fans? It put you in bother 3 or 4 times. It amazes me that teams at this level believe they have the ability to play out from the back.

 

[Indian Dan]

A really woeful 60 minutes from us. We then get a soft pen and could send should have won it. Absolute stonewall penalty not given to even up the previous soft one that was given. 2 wrongs don’t make a right.

Never realised what a dirty set of bastards Harrogate were especially in the 2nd half. If they weren’t so intent on fouling and just carried on their first half performance they would have won.

Garner has to do something about our home form. It’s truly atrocious.

 

[Valeite]

Congratulations to all league 2 fans who turned out today, real fans every one.

 

[saddler78]

On a par with Hartlepool away today utter dross.

 

[leedsvaliant]

On a par with Hartlepool away today utter dross.

To be honest, you weren't great on Tuesday. It was probably our worst performance for a couple of seasons and you should have steamrolled us. Especially with 10 men.

 

[Robshep]

Congratulations to all league 2 fans who turned out today, real fans every one.

Would have been at the game today if possible.

 

[valefan16]

Second half was as cold as I’ve ever been at a football match in fairness! Hands were freezing through the gloves. One time I was chuffed we’d only made 1 sub and neither side required treatment so it was all over fairly swiftly!