Peter Hartley - goal

By Charlie Summerbell
October 25 2009

A win is a win, and with their home record this season Hartlepool United know that beggars can’t be choosers. But the 1-0 victory over managerless Tranmere was hardly a thriller and was probably not the most satisfactory result for Chris Turner and his players either. However, they all count and the three points are welcome.

Pools are tenth in League One, and most fans would have snatched your hand off before the season started if you had offered them that position after 14 games.
The home record is not good, but it’s getting better and thankfully their away form is a lot better than most.
And they had two more bits of good news over the weekend, too -  Chris Turner revealing that the injury that forced James Brown’s off the pitch on Saturday was not too serious (a knock on the ankle apparently) and then rejoicing in a home draw against non-League opposition in the first round of the FA Cup.
The opponents will be either Ketterring Town or Reddich United, who replay at Redditch this week. Kettering are managed by Mark cooper, son of Terry, who was boss of Tamworth when they knocked Pools out of the Cup with a shock win at the Vic in 2005. The replay winners are at the Vic on November 7 or 8.
The first goal of left-back Peter Hartley’s senior career earned the win over Tranmere, a header late in the first half that he enjoyed as much as any player can when he scores his first goal for his home-town club.
It was a third consecutive clean sheet for Pools and their first back-to-back wins for a year, and that is what counts more than the game itself, which rarely rose above the mediocre.

Pools were worth their win, but only just and Turner got it right when he said the team has played better at home this season and not won.
Tranmere worked hard, but had few threats and weren’t helped when sub Charlie Barnett was unlucky to be sent off late on.

Pools will want to build on the result at home, and carry on the good run when they go to Brighton next weekend to face a side already beaten five times this season at the very ropey With(out)dean Stadium.