Richie H - 473

By Charlie Summerbell
February 27 2011

Two well-taken goals by Andy Monkhouse and some firm defending from the whole team enabled Hartlepool United to end their recent away slump and get back to the sort of form that gave them the best away record in League One in the first half of the season. And as a bonus, Richie Humphreys set a new club appearance record.

He was only on for the last seven minutes in the 2-1 win at Exeter, but it was enough to see him chalk up his 473^rd appearance in a Pools shirt, passing the record held for half a century by the legendary Wattie Moore.
Richie now has every right to be classed as a legend himself, and just as much right to expect himself to be able to take the close to or even past the 500 mark before he hangs up his boots.
By the time he went on, two first-half goals from the man he replaced, Monkhouse (left), had set Pools on their way to victory, his first a crisp low shot after a long throw from Sam Collins and the second another firm finish after Colin Larkin headed on.
Pools were in a winning position with barely a third of the game gone, but there was still a lot to do as Exeter fought hard to recover and at times it got a bit hectic, especially after Jamie Cureton had narrowed the gap in the second half, but Pools also had their chances as Monkhouse went close to a hat trick, Larkin went close twice and Leon McSweeney hit the bar.
But keeper Scot Flinders also made some good saves as the game swung from end to end, pools hanging on for a result that ensured Richie’s big day was memorable in more ways than one.
Mick Wadsworth admitted he was glad to hear the final whistle and he told the club website: “It was a real roller-coaster of a game. There were chances at both ends and I thought we had the better of the game and the better of the chances.
“Andy scored two very good goals – he was terrific today, led the line well, created things and they were very wary of him.”
Humphreys, meanwhile, was just as pleased with the result as he was with his own milestone and says he’s looking forward to adding to that figure of 473.
He gets his next chance to do so on Tuesday night when Huddersfield are at the Vic looking for revenge after Pools won at their place earlier in the season.
They were held to a 202 draw by form club Orient on Saturday, but are still third top nine points ahead of 12-placed Pools.