By Albatross
August 24 2005

In some ways it shows how far we've come: despite beating Darlington 3-1 in last night's Carling Cup tie, some Hartlepool United fans were less than impressed. Hopefully there is more to come from Martin Scott's squad. So Pools have their first home win of the season, albeit over a side from a lower division. 3-1 looks fairly comfortable on paper, and you won't even find too many Darlo fans that will claim that we didn't deserve the win - but arguably the side still looks like it's settling in and there should be more to come.

One or two of the changes that many had hoped to see were indeed made: Boyd was back in, although whether he'll stay in after Proctor's brace is open to question; and Strachan replaced Bullock presumably to provide more solidity in the midfield. Boyd is now finding that he's double or even triple marked - a natural consequence of his performances last season - and he needs to show that he can still perform even when under pressure in this way.

The enforced change caused by Eifion Williams' absence though raised a few questions. With Humphreys switched back into midfield we had Matty Robson at left back. For starters, when are we going to see Hugh Robertson back in action again? Yes he had a setback before the start of the season, but we're now at the point of him not having started a game since we played Colchester early in April - and even then he was obviously still not quite right. Without a fit Shug, we are having to rely on players to fill in such as Humphreys and Robson - neither of them natural defenders. Is it time for John Brackstone to be given a run? Should we be looking to bring someone else in?

Meanwhile the debate about Richie Humphreys is polarising between those that think he's making a valuable contribution, and those that can't understand why he's getting a game. Last night he found himself starting on the right of midfield, and with players such as Bullock, Llewellyn, and Proctor on the bench some were wondering why. Me? I had to settle for Pools World last night (the perils of being an exile), but I can't help feeling that Humphreys is increasingly looking like a player in search of a position to make his own - Butler is looking our most potent creative force, there's no room in the centre unless Richie can perform in a holding role, and the first few games of the season have shown that he has some way to go before he can be considered a solid option at full-back - although I don't think he has disgraced himself there by any means.

The problem for many fans though is the style of football. Once again last night the perception was that we were too quick to play a long ball towards Daly rather than pass the ball through the midfield and down the flanks; compared to the fare we've had in recents seasons it looks much less attractive.

Is the side just bedding in? Will the good football return? Or are we following a plan? I would hope that it's more likely to be the former and the fact that Daly is the solitary target man we have at the club suggests that our long-term hopes don't depend on playing a more direct style. Will things change as and when players like Porter, Tinkler and hopefully Robertson are available? Only time will tell.