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Pools worries should be over after Gills win

Joel Porter - great goal
By Clarence Rode March 9 2008
Managers like Kevin Keegan are praying for a couple of results like those which appear to have killed off Hartlepool's relegation fears in League One. Two wins in four days have eased the pressure on Danny Wilson and his players, and they'll be hoping to finish on a high note as they go into the last ten games of the campaign.

It wasn't all easy against a Gillingham side which had its moments, but Pools were always too good for a puny team playing with too many passangers and too many weaknesses.
Monkhouse (large)Andy Monkhouse (left) scored and looked like getting back to his old self, so did Joel Porter with a vintage solo goal, Sam Collins got his first for the club and showed how important he is in defence, Jamie McCunnie scored the fourth and left us wondering why he hasn't played at right-back all season, and Arran Lee-Barrett produced a brilliant penalty save.
They were just some of the positives in a one-sided game, while on the negative side there were moments when Pools looked shaky under pressure and there are still a few question marks in midfield.
Willie Boland always make it difficult for opponents to play, but in a blustery wind he gave the ball away a lot against Gillingham, while Gary Liddle still isn't quite the player he was when he first joined the club.
He's better than most and never stops running, so is it a lack of confidence brought on by Pools' recent poor run that prevents him being as outstanding as he used to be?
If Pools beat Huddersfield at the Vic on Tuesday night in a game which will surely provide more challenges than Gillingham did they can look towards the play-of zone rather than behind them at the relegation zone.
But all in all it looks like being a mid-table season for Pools, and in truth most people would have accepted that before the season started. The trouble is, they have been so firstrating at times and while their best form has bordered on being good enough for promotion, their worst has been ... rubbish.
If they have been more consistent and signed Sam Collins in August rather than January, how much better might the season have been?

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