By Albatross
August 13 2005

Singing in the rain? That will be the Poolies then! Hartlepool United got their first win of the new season at Doncaster Rovers, a good team performance in conditions that looked more November than August most of the time. In conditions more suited to Water Polo than Football the choice between seats and open terrace was an easy one - although the leg room was less than your typical budget airline! However with the walk from the station alone threatening to soak through my waterproof I decided to betray my working-class roots and join the posh mob in the Wooden Floored Stand! It was an excellent vantage-point to watch the raincoat clad Dancing Girls from, although the pillars threatened to obstruct our view of the football... Any doubts about deciding to avoid the open terrace were dispelled when I discovered that the paper I'd intended to make notes on was already a sodden mess. It seemed somehow appropriate that the teams came out to the Old Spice ad music (Carl Orff's O Fortuna chorus for the musos out there) - any wetter and the sodden fans at each end would have been able to surf down the Terraces just like in the advert!

The pitch though seemed to be coping well and although things were understandably slippery it never looked like becoming waterlogged. Pools showed one change to their starting eleven from midweek: new signing Neill Collins was included in place of Clark. Did this mean 3-5-2? He was amongst the subs; that meant Adam Boyd also had to settle once more for a spot on the bench. For Donny, former Mackem midfielder Sean Thornton got the opportunity to pit his wits against some former team mates, and sometime loanee James Coppinger also started. The looming figure of the ever-popular Leo Fortune-West was amongst the subs.

Pools kicked off towards their sodden fans and it soon became apparent that we were sticking with 4-4-2; Collins partnering Nelson with Darren Williams at full back.

Pools were first to show, Eifion and Proctor combining on 2 minutes to almost send Sweeney in; and for the first 15 minutes there was no doubt that we were in the ascendency. More good play saw the ball reach Daly on the left of the box; however with a home defender on his shoulder he could only shoot weakly at the keeper. A minute later a long throw from Humphreys reached Proctor, who saw his shot blocked.

On 9 minutes Eifion Williams had a chance, but also shot weakly; but Pools were definately causing trouble for the home side who were having few threatening moments of their own. They did have a chance on 13 minutes though when a rash challenge by Sweeney on Thornton gave them a free kick wide on the left: Thornton sent in a dipping drive that Dimi was forced to touch over for a corner.

Doncaster were now coming into the game more and more, although with Collins fitting well into the defence and Pools using the flanks to good effect it was far from one way traffic. Daly was doing a respectable job as the target man in spite of plenty of holding from the home defence and precious little protection from the officials, and Bullock was getting stuck in in the centre.

Dimi was being kept on his toes, a shot from Roberts forcing a save after 17 minutes, and then on 21 minutes McIndoe tried a cross-cum-shot that Collins had to be alert to put behind at the far post.

Pools almost made the breakthrough on 24 minutes; a poor header from a Pools clearance sent Eifion away down the right, but he cut inside and held onto the ball for a bit too long, crowded out much to the frustration of the lurking Proctor. Rovers were next to go close, working the ball through to Roberts in the area only for him to find Dimi on hand to make a sharp stop.

On the half hour came the first booking of the game; Collins, who shortly before had been involved in a little bit of handbags when a Donny player had stopped him trying to take a quick free kick, was penalised for a foul on Heffernan. The kick found a Doncaster head, but the free header only forced Dimi to touch the ball round the post.

On 36 minutes Pools had their most meaningful shot on goal so far. Butler broke forward quickly before finding Proctor on the left; from 20 yards he shot for the far post and forced a good save from Warrington. Shortly after the hard-working Daly tried to play in Sweeney but just put the ball too far ahead of the Pools midfielder.

When the goal did come though it was on the stroke of half time. Butler again broke forward with speed and purpose before unleashing a powerful shot from the edge of the area; the keeper couldn't hold onto it and DALY was on hand to sweep the ball home at the far post.

1-0 at the break then and plenty of positives. Collins was looking every inch a quality player; both Williamses were battling away to good effect; Bullock was getting stuck in, Butler was causing no end of problems and the Proctor/Daly partnership was working well up front.

Pools continued to threaten at the start of the second half. Butler sent an effort over the bar when the ball was cleared to him after a Humphreys long throw; a minute later there was an ironic cheer from the travelling supporters when Daly was finally given a free kick for the umpteenth foul against him. Collins got onto the end of a long free kick on 50 minutes but headed wide.

Doncaster were understandably doing their utmost to get back in the game and almost did so on 52 minutes. A dangerous attack down the left caused problems,the ball played across to the far post; fortunately Dimi was on hand to smother the shot from the lurking Coppinger.

Pools broke quickly and almost got lucky when a shot from Humphreys almost crept in, forcing Warrington to tip the ball over the bar. From the corner Bullock rattled the woodwork with a powerful header. Shortly after he was shown yellow for what looked to be a rather dubiously given foul.

Dimi had already saved our bacon on a couple of occasions and again proved his worth on 57 minutes. Another incisive attack down the Doncaster left saw McIndoe swing the ball across for Heffernan - only for Dimi to make a super stop from his close-range header.

Pools then made their first and only change of the afternoon: Adam Boyd replaced Proctor. Shortly after his arrival the sun broke through! His first real action created another chance: Daly headed on, Boyd reached out a leg and flicked the ball through for Sweeney, who shot at the keeper.

Doncaster were continuing to look menacing, but were possibly rather fortuitously given a free kick on 65 minutes when Collins was harshly judged by the linesman, who presumably had his X-Ray Specs on, to have pushed Roberts. Thornton's free kick though only found the Pools wall. However things were starting to look a little worrying - the midfield seemed to have gone missing, giving Doncaster far too much time and space to work the ball around as they probed for an opening. Some solid defensive work and some decent hold-up play from Daly and Boyd prevented them building up the pressure too much though.

Doncaster brought on Guy for Coppinger, moving to a narrower formation as they went with three up front; and when that failed to offer a solution the bludgeon that is Fortune-West was brought on to replace Neil Roberts' rapier. Would Lovely Leo once again deprive Pools of points? The pressure continued to build, but the final ball lacked quality and as we entered the last ten minutes Pools started to get more of a grip on the game. Pools were given a foul when Boyd slipped - another poor decision from a Ref that gave plenty against us - and then Foster felled Boyd and received a yellow card. Pools continued to frustrate the home side, defending stoutly and keeping play high up the field for the most part and played out time; McGuire's 20 yarder that went over on 86 minutes was as close as they came before the whistle went to signal our first win of 2005/6.

It was a good team performance from Pools, with none of the players shirking their duty. The defence looked very solid, Collins slotting in nicely and he and Darren Williams showing why they have been at a higher level recently - and Humphreys was solid if not spectacular. Butler was a thorn in Doncaster's side all day, Eifion ran his socks off as usual, and Daly especially shone up front. However my personal man of the match has to be Dimi: once again the Greek stopper made some great stops, and for my money was the difference between two good sides.