Chris Turner

By Charlie Summerbell
August 30 2009

It is to be hoped Chris Turner’s prediction that Hartlepool will get better as the season progresses and the players knit as a team comes true, because if it doesn’t they’ll almost certainly be relegated. Three League One defeats out of three at Victoria Park is relegation form, and while Pools didn’t play badly against Charlton and Bristol Rovers, they didn’t play well against Norwich.

And what just had to happen did happen as former Pools defender Michael Nelson (right), back in the Norwich team after a disastrous start to his Carrow Road career on the first day of the season, scored the opening goal with an overhead shot in the first half.
Pools never got their game going at all and it was no surprise when Stephen huighes scored a second midway through the second half.

Perhaps it was the exertions of Tuesday night’s extra-time defeat at the hands of Burnley in the Carling Cup, but something had taken the bite out of Pools’ form and they were always second best against a side clearly improving after their opening-day hammering at home to Colchester.
With midweek goalscorer Adam Boyd and Gillingham match-winner James Brown both on the bench - a strange double decision from Turner – Colin Larkin got his Pools debut alongside Denis Behan, but rarely looked the part.
Turner said after the game that too many players were below their form, and that’s the most obvious explanation for the team performance.
But Pools can’t afford to play like that for much longer – the season is still young, but losing at home is a bad habit and Pools need to get out of it as quickly as possible.