Jose grabs his second chance

Latics players celebrate

HARTLEPOOL 1 ATHLETIC 2
BY HOOK, by crook and with a fair share of luck, Athletic claimed a much-needed three points to calm frayed nerves on a madcap night at Victoria Park.

Jose Baxter’s seventh and eighth goals of the season settled this contest. The winner, in the second minute of added time at the end of the game, came from a rebound after the striker’s own penalty kick was saved by Scott Flinders.

Nobody of a Hartlepool persuasion was surprised. A run of 18 games without a win does tend to mean new tricks are discovered by which to chuck away promising positions.

Athletic manager Paul Dickov, on the other hand, will feel that fortune favoured the brave. After Hartlepool had been reduced in number after experienced right-back Neil Austin’s rash, shin-high tackle on James Wesolowski, he threw on Matt Smith and then Chris Sutherland.

It was a clear sign that a point, away to a team marooned at the foot of npower League One, wasn’t satisfactory. Smith had an impact and helped to win the last-gasp penalty, awarded for a clear and needless handball in the area by substitute Jack Baldwin.

This was a game short on quality but high on endeavour. It ebbed and flowed from one end to the other and though Athletic – themselves without a win in five league games – took control for most of the first half, new Pools boss John Hughes deserves credit for the way his men got to grips with the game after half-time.

It could have gone either way in the end. Both sides hit the frame of goal and even after Baxter’s late winner, a mad scramble in the Athletic box nearly resulted in an equaliser.

In the end, ex-Everton man Baxter made the difference.

Admirably, Hartlepool opened up the game adopting a tactic of playing the ball out from the back in all circumstances.

Regrettably from their point of view, the men picking up possession were not so much Busquets and Xavi as Stadler and Waldorf.

Athletic cottoned on quickly and swarmed the ball-receiver. Continually, it was given away to the anguish of a home crowd already primed to scream invective due to a run of no victories in the last 17 matches.

Pools actually started fairly robustly in an opening peppered by more offside flags as a result of mistimed runs than successful passes.

Hulking, gnarled centre-forward Steve Howard imposed his frame on Athletic’s defenders from the off. And despite a few early theatrical falls in attempts to earn free-kicks, his header against the face with Bouzanis well beaten had a galvanising effect on his team-mates.

That soon disappeared, though, when the profligacy in possession suddenly affected Flinders.

Fort no discernable reason, the ‘keeper scuffed his clearance straight to the feet of a grateful Matt Derbyshire. The on-loan striker was unselfish in slipping in Jose Baxter, who coolly stepped around Flinders to slide home left-footed the game’s opening goal after 17 minutes.

Baxter celebrated sedately at first, before suddenly pointing and scooting over to his under-pressure manager Paul Dickov in celebration.

The goal served to lift Athletic while also setting the vocal home support back into a reflective doom which was punctuated by depressed cat-calls from the home supporters.

“Your sunbed’s been switched on for you,” shouted one wag, as tanned Simon Walton – whose every touch was greeted with groans – departed for an early shower after only 37 minutes.

Athletic were working hard without the ball, even if the quality on it wasn’t as good as it might be.

The one player who let himself down was Cristian Montano, booked for stupidly flicking the ball into the net having already been deemed offside.

Matt Derbyshire had his customary goal chalked off for offside and Dickov’s men entered the changing rooms relatively comfortable at a goal up.

Hartlepool responded well on the resumption, though, as Athletic’s familiar second-half blues showed up again.

A warning just after the hour when lively Jonathan Franks fired a left-footed shot which forced Bouzanis into a low save.

Shortly after that, ex-Boro man Franks was again involved. A cross was cleared to him and as his 25-yard shot passed through a posse of players, the ball was well pushed out by Bouzanis but straight to Antony Sweeney, who fired high and neatly into the roof of the net.

Thankfully from Dickov and Athletic’s viewpoint, the red card was the next major incident. Though it steeled Hartlepool defensively, it put the visitors back on the front foot.

Youssouf Mchangama went inches wide with a left-footed shot from the edge of the box and then hit a post when heading down Reece Wabara’s flighted cross.

Monkhouse tested Bouzanis with a 35-yard daisy-cutter but at the other end, Baldwin’s ill-advised raised hand made contact with the ball.

Baxter’s first effort was very well-stopped by Flinders. When it is not going for you, it really isn’t, though. The ball slipped out from under his body and three points belonged to Athletic.