Lidds - off

By Charlie Summerbell
April 2 2011

Avoiding a League One defeat at second bottom Swindon is no great shakes – 14 other teams have managed it this season – but for Hartlepool United a 1-1 draw is a welcome boost after three defeats on the bounce. The point means Pools stay in mid-table, and with six games left they can relax ... but not much.

But boss Mick Wadsworth will hopefully not be happy if they take that to mean they can ease up – that was possibly part of the trouble in some of those three defeats after they made the 50-point mark, particularly the awful 5-2 defeat at Walsall.

In fact, the draw at Swindon might just have been a win if Gary Liddle hadn’t spent most of the second half watching instead of playing, shown a straight red for a very untypical late challenge on Paul Cadis nine minutes after half-time.

Wadsworth told the club website: “I don’t think there  was any malice in it – we know Gary Liddle is not that kind of guy. He makes a lot of tackles and from time to time, everyone gets it wrong in the timing.”

But Wadsworth was delighted with his team’s display against a side desperate for points.

“Obviously the second off was a big issue for us, but we could have crumbled there and we didn’t. The most pleasing thing was that we looked solid, a lot better defensively throughout the team.

“Everyone really put a shift in today.”

None more so than Evan Horwood, who scored the goal that gave Pools the lead. “It was fantastic bright thinking by him and credit to him. He saw an opening and he slid it back in … beautiful.”

That came on 37 minutes when home keeper Phil Smith, a late choice after David Lucas was injured in the warm-up, was too keen to get the game going after gathering a Pools corner and his throw gave Horwood the chance to score unopposed from 30 yards.

But without Liddle, Pools found it hard work in Swindon levelled on 67 minutes when Matt Ritchie headed in.

Pools worked hard to hold their point, and sub Armann Bjornsson might have won it late on, but Smith got to the ball first when the big man broke through.

A point on the road is always welcome, three would have been better.