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February
Pool
1 Shrewsbury Town 0. The game which saw Adam Boyd burst onto the scene.
Craig Midgley had broken his collar bone and was ruled out for next 8
weeks. Boyd was promoted to the Pool subs bench. Pool performed well below
par and couldn't break struggling Shrewsbury down. However in the final
minute of the game a long ball forward from the Pool defence looked no
danger to Edward's, but has he tried to shepherd the ball behind for a
goal kick Boyd stole in and took the ball from the bemused keeper. Without
hesitation the 17 year old sent the ball goalwards from a near impossible
angle, and to the crowds delight the ball nestled in the far end of the
goal. A great goal from the youngster and the relief in the Vic was clear.
What a way to score your first league goal. Hopefully many more will follow.
Southend United 2 Pool 1. Pool striker Chris Freestone left to
join Cheltenham on a month's loan on Friday as Gary Jones and Kevin Henderson
were added to the Pool squad for the trip to Southend. The decision to
let Freestone leave for one of Pools rivals seemed a strange one. But
his Pool career was not going as planned and the attraction of first team
football proved to tempting for both Freestone and Chris Turner. On the
stroke of half time Martin Carruthers gave the Shrimpers the lead after
Chris Westwood's headed backpass fell short of Martin Hollund. Straight
from the kick off Pool pulled level. Sam Shilton took a corner and found
Graeme Lee unmarked, and he headed home. As the second half started Southend
retook the lead within a minute. Paul Stephenson played the ball back
in the direction of Gary Strodder who wasn't on the same wavelength and
Carruthers again nipped in and beat Hollund for his second goal of the
game. Pool could find no way back and slumped to defeat.
Pool 1 Macclesfield 4. Arguably Pools worst performance of the
season. Macc tore Pool apart in the rain at the Vic. Chris Turner decided
wholesale changes were needed after the poor showing at Southend. Out
went Hollund, replaced with Dibble. Out went Westwood replaced by Barron.
Out went Fitzpatrick, replaced by Tennebo. Out went McAvoy replaced by
Henderson. Out went Jones, replaced by Clark. Big changes which back fired
in a big way. Macc raced into a 3 goal lead within 37 minutes as Keiron
Durkan, Richie Barker and John Askey all registered for the visitors.
On 39 minutes Tommy Miller pulled a goal back for Pool but two minutes
after the interval, Askey headed on for Richie Barker to score his second
of the game and wrap the points up for the visitors. Andy Dibble took
most of the flak from the Pool fans and lashed out in the local press
after the match. Dibble's Pool future looked bleak to say the least. The
game itself was a six pointer as Pool had dropped out of the play off's
and Macclesfield were closing in on Turners team. Pools looked far from
a good team, and Turner promised signings in the coming weeks.
Pool 1 Carlisle 2. After three cancellations because of a waterlogged
Brunton Park, the football league order this Auto Windscreens Northern
Area Semi Final to be played at Victoria Park. Coming of the back of their
heaviest defeat of the season Pool never got going. Pool old boys Stephen
Halliday and Rob McKinnon got the goals for Carlisle with Graeme Lee scoring
late on for Pool. Too little too late however as again the old boy jinx
hit Pool this season. The Twin Towers of Wembley were not to be, and as
the saying goes, Pool could now concentrate on the league!
Plymouth Argyle 1 Pool 1. The long trip to see the Pilgrims reaped
a one point reward for Pool. So far this season Plymouth had remained
unbeaten at home all season. So Pool were happy with a single point. In
the 38th minute Plymouth opened the scoring when a tremendous off the
ball run by Paul McGregor saw him escape his marker and, when a diagonal
pass found him at the edge of the area, he looped the ball over the advancing
Mark Hollund. Full back Darren Knowles tried desperately to prevent the
ball crossing the line but couldn't keep his feet in greasy conditions
and the ball agonisingly rolled over the line. But the equaliser came
in the 59th minute, after a good spell of pressure by the visitors. Lee
Fitzpatrick's left wing corner was only half-cleared to the edge of the
area and Sam Shilton raced forward to ram home his third goal of the season.
Shilton scoring on his return to the club his made his league debut at
under then boss and father Peter. After a couple of bad weeks this was
a good point for Pool. A defeat would have seen another of Pools play
off rivals leapfrog them, a draw saw Pool hold onto 8th position with
two homes games coming up. Some much needed confidence had been restored.
The story
continues.............March.
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