Hartlepool’s tale of woe

A CLUB record run of home form won't have been ruled an implausibility within Hartlepool United's hierarchy at the end of the summer.

Buoyed by a cut-price season ticket promotion which attracted almost 6,000 takers, hopes were high at Victoria Park that a play-off place wasn’t beyond reasonable hope.

But instead of cheering their side on to a stream of victories, Pools fans who have paid up front have stopped coming altogether, as their beloved team continue to find their boosted following a burden.

While successful on the road — at the time of his departure as boss, Mick Wadsworth boasted the joint second-best away record in npower League One, behind leaders Charlton — Hartlepool hit rock-bottom when Preston escaped from the North-East with a 1-0 win, thanks to a goal from Neil Mellor.

That was a seventh straight loss on home turf, the worst run in the club's 103-year history. Wadsworth paid with his job.

It is a sequence made all the more amazing by the fact that Pools made a good start to the season. Nine matches in, they were unbeaten.

But caretaker boss Micky Barran took to fielding teenagers in the latest, and eighth straight, home loss to Colchester last week.

While Hartlepool's run of four losses in a row and a solitary victory in their last nine matches will have Athletic licking their lips over the Boxing Day clash at Boundary Park, it shouldn't be forgotten that Paul Dickov's resilient side have only managed one win in the league in their last seven outings.

And even if three points are forthcoming, doommongers among the Athletic faithful can also point to the corresponding fixture last term.

After smashing Pools 4-0 at Boundary Park on New Year's Day, Athletic had to wait until April — 13 games later — for another three points, as a dearth of goals shifted the team from play-off candidates to relegation possibilities.