Nelse - goal

By Clarence Rode
February 1 2009

A last-minute goal condemned Hartlepool to another defeat on the road, and to make matters even more complicated for caretaker boss Chris Turner, he's about to lose coach Ian Butterworth to Norwich, where he has been offered the chance of becoming No.2 to Bryan Gunn at his former club. It's not the best of circumstances in which to repare for a trip to big-spenders Huddersfield on Tuesday night.

Butterworth has been linked with a return to his former club since Gunn was made manager earlier in january, and he missed the game at Brighton on Saturday after watching Norwich draw 1-1 at Doncaster on Friday night.
It would be a major surprise if it isn't announced soon that he's oin his way to East Anglia.
Meanwhile, Pools have no time to lick their wounds after losing to a last-minute goal at Brighton, where the home team had lost their previous four games.
With or without Butterworth, they are at Huddersfield on Tuesday night against a team rejuvenated by Lee Claerk's arrival as manager and the club's sudden discovery of spending money.
In their first game together, Joel Porter and on-loan Daniel Nardiello looked as if they could form a dangerous partnership up front, but it took defender Michael Nelsonm to score the goal and the old defensive lapses are still there.
Turner was happy with his team's overall performance, as they created enough chances to win easily after taking the lead, but there has to be concern about the way goals are easily given away and the fact that defeat seems to be the order of the day on their travels at the moment.
Pools are clearly missing the control of Willie Boland in midfield and the skills of James Brown up front, and with them, both out long term, they need to do more to make up for these absences.
It's all very well saying the team played well in the second half against Carlisle at home and in the first half away to Brighton.
How about playing well for a full 90 minutes, home AND away?