Horwood - winner

By Charlie Summerbell
September 25 2011

Many Hartlepool United fans, especially those of long-standing, will be wondering if they are dreaming as they look at the League One table - Pools are third top, unbeaten in all nine games so far this season and looking good enough to continue that run.

They waited until three minutes from the end at Bournemouth before chalking up their fifth consecutive victory, a run that makes them a team to be feared by any League One opposition.

They fell behind to a well-struck Steven Gregory goal on 37 minutes, but an even better effort from Nobby Solano levelled the game just before half-time as he curled his free-kick round the wall into the top corner.

In the second half Pools were always in it thanks to a couple of good saves by Scott Flinders and took all three points late on when James Poole got the ball into the danger zone and sub Evan Horwood celebrated his return from injury with a stunning volley that went in off the angle of post and bar.

“I thought we were the better team overall,” Wadsworth told the club website.

“I don’t think we were at our best, particularly in the first half – we were slow out of the blocks.

“we needed to be more compact between front and back. In the second half we went on to be the better team and restricted Bournemouth to set pieces and long shots.

“We’ve got to keep it going now – the challenge every week while we’re on this run is to get better and there are certainly things from today that we can improve on.”

Looking at the League table, that might sound a strange thing to say, but the fact that Wadsworth wants more is a good sign as he tries to drive Pools on after such a good start.

Meanwhile, those fans who rub their eyes in disbelief every time they see the table had better believe it.

Not only are Pools third top, they are third top on merit.

Not that Bournemouth would agree - their manager Lee Bradbury said after the game that his team deserved to win, while one fan posted the following message on the local paper website: "The Hartlepool players should have been embarrassed. If a winning streak is based on cynical fouls and blatant dangerous ones, followed by scoring when our injured defender is still off the pitch, then you can keep it. Disgrace."

So now you know.