Pools celebrate their 3rd

By Charlie Summerbell
November 14 2010

On paper it was the surprise result of the day, in fact it was one of the shocks of the season as inconsistent Hartlepool United battered runaway League One leaders Brighton 3-1 at Victoria Park. But for seasoned Pools watchers, it was no real surprise – they always expect the unexpected.

And caretaker/acting/stand-in/temporary manager Mick Wadsworth (right) is beginning to get used to it.
If he or anybody else could explain how a team which struggled at home against Vauxhall Motors and too many other teams this season can outplay League One’s outstanding team, he’d be a coaching millionaire.
With James Brown making a surprise comeback and another striker who has been struggling with injury, Adam Boyd, on the bench, it was a string of tales of the unexpected from Pools.
The win was welcome,. and the fact that they deserved it was even more welcome. Pools were the better side throughout, their all-action display taking Brighton by surprise as the leaders slumped to only their second defeat of the season, their first since August.
“It was a great performance in a real blood and thunder game,” Wadsworth told the club website. “When you are playing the best teams sometimes you have to sacrifice something to try and disrupt their play.
“”It worked initially for us which gave us a foothold in the game, but it was down to concentration and making the right decisions. We played some really good football.
“I’m really happy for the players and for the supporters, because they’ve stayed right behind us during what’s been an up and down season.”
There’s another factor which Wadsworth has failed to mention: himself.
Hen coached the team to what he and the fans will be hoping is a landmark win. He set up the pattern that disrupted Brighton and earned Pools a result many a team much higher in the table has failed to achieve.
Neil Austin started and finished the move that gave Pools their first and when Gary Dicker levelled early in the second half, there must have been fears that it was all going to go wrong again.
But Gary Liddle, back in midfield, finished well for a second and after Brighton’s Liam Bridcutt was harshly sent off for a tackle on Liddle, Pools made sure as sub James Poole headed in a third.
It was one of those good days for Pools that come up now and again and a result that takes them into the relative comfort of mid-table, though only four points ahead of the bottom four.
If only they can carry this form into the midweek FA Cup replay against Vauxhall Motors and finish the job they should have finished when they first met, things really will be looking up.
Especially if they sort things out behind the scenes and make Mick the boss on a more permanent basis - then he can maybe afford a shaver.