Taken from the brilliant GasCast http://gas-cast.co.uk/ Two teams in different battles go up against each other on Tuesday night as play off hopefuls Bristol Rovers entertain relegation threatened Hartlepool United at the Memorial Stadium. Rovers manager Darrell Clarke will have to pick his players after their disappointing away defeat at the hands of Wycombe Wanderers on the weekend. Clarke, who has seen his side lose three of their previous four matches has said though that he is unaffected by his side’s dip in form. “It is only the three teams at the top who have been really consistent across the whole of the season,” Clarke said. “The rest of the teams have been through periods of inconsistency and that is just the way football works. “Do I want my team to be more consistent? Of course I do. Do the players need to be more consistent? Yes, but it shouldn’t be forgotten that we are still right in the mix to finish the season on a high. “We went on a poor run over five games earlier in the season where we got one point out of 15 and everybody was talking about a relegation fight. “Yes, we have only got four points from the last 15, but we have played good teams in Oxford, Portsmouth , Plymouth, Accrington and Wycombe.” Clarke told the Bristol Post. Hartlepool go into the game on the back of picking up four points from their previous four games under their newly appointed manager Craig Hignett. The Pools also go into the game with their tails up after halting league leaders Northampton Town’s run of 10 successive wins last time out. Captain Billy Paynter spoke of his side’s delight in ending that run and has said that his side will head into the match full of confidence. “Northampton had 10 straight wins and I think, on paper, people would not have backed us. “The lads were a bit downhearted that we didn’t come away with all three points, but I think we’d have taken a point before the game. “It was a positive result and nice to get a clean sheet and we can kick on from that for Bristol Rovers,” he told the Hartlepool Mail. Stats The Gas have won five of their last six home games, drawing the other. Pools’ last five away days have produced one point from a possible 15. Rovers manager Darrell Clarke played 127 games for the Pools, scoring 19.
Apparently we are top of the home form table and Hartlepool are bottom of the away form table. The other day I was thinking of a home victory but don't know now just got this gut feeling we are going to lose.
Have confidence, I would be more than cheesed off if we didn't take el maximo from this little spat, Rovers to win comforatably
Hartlepool are on a bit of a revival after a change of manager. I hope we win comfortably, but I fear that this one has frustrating draw or smash and grab written all over it.
I know after tonight we will have 13 games left so 33 points up for grabs but tonight for me really is a must win! I will update the thread I did a few weeks back to see what the table looks like when all games in hand are played. Should be interesting.
By Gerry Prewett Currently sitting in 22nd spot in League Two Hartlepool United take the reverse trip that Bristol Rovers took on Tuesday 29th September. Two of the longest journeys that any League teams take and they are both scheduled for mid-week? Rovers trip to Victoria Park was in many respects a turning point for the Gas after a comfortable mid-week victory. Pools have struggled for most of the season season. They got off to a flyer winning their first three games (and a League Cup tie too). Following that they picked up just one point from the next 10 games as the plummeted. After a 2-1 defeat at home to Stevenage on 9 February, Pools parted company with their previous saviour Ronnie Moore. Appointed in December 2014 Moore saved the club from relegation last season, where Pools pulled back a 10-point deficit to preserve their Football League status. The Stveneage defeat was their fourth successive game without a win, and their 16th league defeat of the season. However, a number of postponements meant that Hartlepool had played fewer games than any of the bottom six clubs, including five fewer than Stevenage. Moore’s replacement was Craig Hignett who oversaw an immediate bounceback as they beat fellow strugglers Yeovil 2-1, however they then lost the next two games. On Saturday they earned probably their best result of the season a 0-0 draw to end Northampton Town’s 10 game winning streak. Pools Luke James and Billy Paynter took the game right up to the Cobblers and a late Paynter shot was deflected wide. Looking back at games between the Gas and the Monkey Hangers the history is not a long one, surprisingly for club’s that have been in existence for so long. The first game didn’t take place until the 1961/62 season, a League Cup game which Rovers won 2-1. Matches between the teams were generally low scoring. However there have been two 2-2 draws, on 23 October 2010 at the Victoria Ground. Joe Gamble on 29 minutes and Tony Sweeny scored for the Monkey Hangers with 11 minutes of the game left. Jo Kuffour pulled back the first on 85 minutes and Byron Anthony scored for Rovers right on 90 minutes. Andy Monkhouse was in the Pools team for that game. The last time Rovers entertained the North Eastern team was on 21 September 2013, Matt Harrold gave Rovers a 35th minute lead but immediately Luke James hit back for Pools and to compound the pain, gave the away team the lead on the stroke of half-time. It took the whole of the second half for John-Joe O’Toole to find the equaliser. Jake Carroll was lauded by Pools Boss Craig after an performance in Saturday’s 0-0 draw with Northampton. Hignett had previously dropped the Irishman despite being the only ever-present under previous boss Ronnie Moore. It was only an injury to his replacement Dan Jones that recently gave him his spot back. “Jake was outstanding, in terms of what we’re asking him to do, covering the centre-halves, getting closer to people, winning the ball and passing it,” said Hignett, “He was different class and I’m pleased for Jake.” He went on to note, “Our shape, belief and organisation was good.” “Last week, we switched off and got done by a really sloppy goal, when we really shouldn’t have lost. This time the message before the game was ‘concentration’. If the game’s tight, let’s make sure we see it out whether it’s 94, 95 minutes. To be fair, defensively, I thought we were excellent.” Pools skipper Billy Paynter says his team will approach the game with confidence. Pools’ last five away games have produced one point from five games but Paynter says the belief has risen on the back of Saturday’s draw with Northampton Town. “It was a positive result and nice to get a clean sheet and we can kick on from that for Bristol Rovers. Northampton had 10 straight wins and I think, on paper, people would not have backed us,” he said. “The lads were a bit downhearted that we didn’t come away with all three points, but I think we’d have taken a point before the game. It was a positive result and nice to get a clean sheet and we can kick on from that for Bristol Rovers.” “The manager was pleased, the work we’ve done on the training field has been taken on board, you can see that. Everyone will look at this draw and say it’s a good result and something to build on. It is good for our confidence.” “I think the back four and Trevor Carson will be delighted to have a clean sheet,” he said, “We were really solid, forcing them down back alleys and pressuring them into losing the ball. We were getting in positions, it was just that final ball at times that did not come off.
Great result tonight. Good to see us bounce back like that. Also good to see Taylor get on the score sheet again. We are now well back in the play off places.
Bristol Rovers 4-1 Hartlepool United Attendance: 6,634 (87) Rovers strolled to a comfortable victory against Hartlepool United at the Memorial Stadium. A Rory Gaffney goal and a Matty Taylor hattrick wrapped up all three points for Rovers with Pools skipper Billy Paynter grabbing a consolation for the visitors. Darrell Clarke made three changes to the side that lost at Wycombe Wanderers at the weekend bringing Billy Bodin, Chris Lines and Matty Taylor back into the starting 11 at the expense of Daniel Leadbitter, Ollie Clarke and Jermaine Easter who dropped to the substitutes bench. Rovers started the game well with Lee Brown finding bags of space on the left hand side before swinging a delightful cross into Matty Taylor who glanced his header just over the crossbar. However Taylor didn't end his bright start with the one opportunity. Minutes later he received a ball on the edge of the area from Billy Bodin, controlling it well before lashing the ball past Trevor Carson with his left foot. Rovers continued to dominate inside the opening 20 minutes and Matty Taylor had the ball in the back of the net for a second time tapping home Lee Brown's cross from inside the six-yard box only to see the linesman rule his effort out for offside. Pools offered very little in the way of attacking threat in the first half and with 15 minutes to go Rory Gaffney doubled the lead. The Irishman latched onto a mistake from Scott Harrison before showing fantastic composure in the penalty area walking his way into the six-yard box before casually stroking the ball home. Darrell Clarke's men continued to dominate the first half and extended their lead again with five minutes remaining. Lee Brown was given space to run into again before picking out Matty Taylor at the near post who made no mistake nodding the ball past a hapless Trevor Carson. The visitors only had one real effort of note inside the first half as Brad Walker's free kick from the edge of the penalty area came crashing back off the crossbar. Craig Hignett's men came out looking more confident in the second half and were rewarded with a goal after some slick attacking play. Luke James was clever on the Pools right hand side before slipping a ball into the path of Billy Paynter who snatched a goal back for United. However, Rovers and Matty Taylor didn't stop there. Under five minutes after Paynter had reduced the deficit, Taylor hit the back of the net to claim his second hattrick of the season. Lee Brown was allowed acres of space on the left again before slipping a low ball into the path of Taylor who had the whole goal to aim at as Trevor Carson was rooted to his near post. With just over 15 minutes to go, Darrell Clarke replaced both his goal scorers to a fantastic reception from the Rovers faithful as Jermaine Easter and Ellis Harrison took to the field. Going into the closing stages of the game Rovers continued to dominate possession but never really threatened Trevor Carson's goal again as Rovers moved back into the Play-Off places. Up next for Rovers is the trip North to take on Notts County before Darrell Clarke's men entertain AFC Wimbledon at the Mem in a weeks time. Rovers: Mildenhall; J. Clarke, Lockyer, McChrystal (C), Brown; Bodin, Mansell (O. Clarke - 81), Lines, Lawrence; Taylor (Easter - 75), Gaffney (Harrison - 77). Unused Substitutes: Puddy (GK), Leadbitter, Parkes, Montano, Harrison. Hartlepool: Carson; Magnay, Carroll, Bates, Thomas (Fenwick - 58), Walker, Paynter (C) (Oates - 75), Featherstone (Hawkins - 65), Jackson, Gray, James. Unused Substitutes: Caig (GK), Harrison, Oates, Richards, Laurent.
From GasCast After the last four performances even the thought of the visit of relegation fighting Hartlepool didn’t really fill me with any confidence that we could get the three points and the team selection after Saturday did nothing to aly my fears that a real banana skin lay ahead.I was very surprised that McCrystal kept his place and; though not overly surprised; Lawrence keeping his place again seemed a strange one. There was more talk than usual amongst supporters before the game as to whether DC had lost the plot and the crowd reflected those last four performances being probably a 1000 down on what I expected. The one hope for me was that despite the away results our home form is very impressive in recent times with 5 wins and a draw out of the last six so with Hartlepool having a pretty awful away record it was at least possible that we could continue that record although being the first team in ages to take something off Northampton and keeping a clean sheet in the process would certainly have given the Pool a boost. Anyway so it was on to the game itself. Mildenhall 7 Couple of crosses that he probably should have claimed but a good performance again. Stood no chance with the goal and his handling was faultless. I have been pretty impressed with his distribution since his return in that he selects his moments when to throw the ball out and his kicking has been pretty good too. I am sure this will be his last season but at least he will go out remembered as a good keeper who gave his all for the club and who proved DC’s judgement wrong which in itself is an achievement because overall DC’s opinion of players and those he has let go or not played have been mainly correct. J. Clarke 6.5 Is he a better option to Leadbitter as an out and out full back I am not sure as the pace of Leadbitter can get us out of trouble but he is certainly a more solid option defensively and better in the air. Without being spectacular he got on with his job and gave a steady performance. It is hard to realise that this is his first season in this standard as he always has that look of an experienced League player about him and he lets his opponent know he is around. I do like having a proper defender playing at full back on at least one side as I feel it gives a certain balance to the side unlike the wing back system and Clarke is well capable of tucking inside and making vital interceptions if the defence gets pulled too far to the left. Lockyer 7.5 Pretty well a standard performance from Tom as for someone so young he has played an amazing amount of games and has the appearances usually expected of a much older player. Last night saw an accomplished performance and much better passing with more passes actually bringing the midfield into the game more. I would still like to see him bringing the entire defence out quicker rather than standing back to provide the opportunity for the ball to be passed back to him but that is a personal preference and not a criticism of his display. Personally I would be looking for a big,tall, hard centre half to be playing alongside him next season who gives us strength in the air and more nastiness about our defence as I always feel we are a bit too nice and susceptible to high crosses or balls in like the winning goal on Saturday. McChrystal 5 The thing I will say about Macca is that he knows his limitations and distribution is not his strong point so you know exactly what you are getting. there is no messing about so you tend not to get the risky interchanges of passing which take place when Tom Parkes plays. On saying that for me McCrystal looks very rusty and I was surprised after his performance Saturday that he kept his place and he seemed to get caught out on the goal. Last night if I felt there was a weakness then it was Marks lack of pace and at times we gave Hartlepool far more room and possession than their talent deserved. Brown 8 Brown was up against a tidy winger and I reckon he did a good job in closing him down especially in the first half and defended well. Add to this he created two of the goals with good crosses and created some other good chances and the goal that was disallowed. He linked up very well with Lawrence and there were signs that this could yet be a similar partnership as he had with Monkhouse. The quality of his crossing was far greater consistency last night. Bodin 6.5 A better first half than second. Brings skill to the side but is not a winger and I feel the side does lack a fair bit of pace and width .He rarely goes outside of a player but that is understandable because he creates problems for defenders when he skilfully goes inside of them and looks to play others in or get a shot in himself. definitely a creative player but can also be considered a bit of a luxury player. Mansell 5 For me although Mansell worked very hard he was a little off the pace of the game and was quite wasteful with the ball at times. Improved as the game went on and is the ideal foil for Lines in that he provides the defensive side of the midfield and holds the midfield unit together.I think last night there was a case for Ollie Clarke to have played this role but for me Manse has, as would be expected for a player of his experience more awareness of what is going on aroumd him and he keeps the shape of the midfield whereas Clarke can get lost in the game and go missing. Lines 7 A bit of a mixed performance in that Chris was involved in a lot of good moves and ran well with the ball all night. He should have scored in the first half with a good chance and he gave the ball away on several occasions that ruined the excellent runs he went on. The midfield as a unit looked much better tonight and wanted the ball and made themselves available to receive it from defenders which meant there was far nless hoofing and the football played was much better to the eye. I would ask now that DC plays the same team Saturday fitness permitting. Lawrence 7.5 Well I certainly have to eat a lot of humble pie after this performance. Liam looked exactly what we thought we had signed and oozed class throughout the game. His passes to Lee Brown were always perfectly weighted and I have the feeling that he could also build a good understanding with Lines because it makes so much difference when your midfielders actually want the ball. Last night he rarely wasted a pass and was involved in three of the four goals. I have to praise DC for standing by him when us fans certainly were not!!! Let’s hope this is just the start and that he earns a contract for next season because as I understand it that is guaranteed if he helps us get promotion. Taylor 9 The only reason I haven’t given him a 10 was for the early gilt edged chance he missed from a perfect cross from Brown where he headed the ball over when it looked easier to score. This miss could really have been costly in other circumstances for a team short on goals and confidence. Last night saw Matty producing a superb footballing display in addition to a great hattrick (his second this season) The first goal was superb when he took the ball down and drilled a superb shot over the keeper from the edge of the box. The second was a clinical header from another pin point cross from Lee Brown and the third a tap in from another Brown low cross .In fact the third was very similar to his disallowed goal which IMO should not have been disallowed and would have given him a very swift hattrick. This was Matty back to his very best bringing others into the game with classy control and the ability to pick a pass. Could have done without the hand to ears celebration as the criticism he has received for recent performances have been completely justified and he should respect the fact that he has not played well for weeks. Gaffney 7 Another hard working performance that could have brought him a hattrick. As it was he was handed his goal on a plate by a clumsy derfender,a goalkeeper who rushed out and missed the ball completely and then he took it with an arrogance that all good goalscorers do, dribbling around the desperate last defender and running the ball into the empty net. Subs: Easter 6 Some good running and skill in a short performance. Harrison 4 Poor,not on long and did nothing of note at all but it was good to see him back in the fold. I am sure he will have his part to play in the run in even if a lot of it is from the bench.. O. Clarke Not long enough to judge but will be remembered for a crunching tackle! Crowd 6 Bantering with the keeper was the highlight but was at least a 1000 light on what I would have expected. Ref 5 A good ref is one you don’t notice. Apart from the strange incident in the first half where he held up the game for a long discussion with Hartlepools Management team.( I think this may have been about a player on the teamsheet or rather not on the teamsheet but not sure ) it was a reasonable performance but nothing special. Hartlepool 5 Defensively pretty disastrous but played some good football. It was very hard to see how they stopped Northampton scoring and no real surprise that they find themselves where they are in the League. Could so easily have been 6 or 7 goals for us but they were unlucky with two attempts that hit the woodwork and scored a decent goal themselves where they completely opened up our defence. DC A much needed win and has to be praised for the way he has stayed calm. It must have been difficult for him to stand by Lawrence but that faith was repaid last night. I was surprised that McCrystal retained his place as I wonder why Parkes has been dropped . It was interesting watching Darrell in the second half as he seemed to be itching to make some substitutions but really couldn’t see the point of making changes other than the fact that Gaffney was injured. I very much hope that he retains the same side for Saturday injury permitting rather than tinkering as I feel that the constant tinkering has caught up with him in recent games. There is a time to reward players foir a good performance by keeping it the same. So it was a case of “there’s no place like home” but Saturday its back to an away game and the chance to end our 4 defeats in five away games. A victory Saturday will be a great boost for the two home games next week which once they have been played will leave us having played the same number of games home and away which is an ideal time to look at the table with no advantages or disadvantages. UTG
I dont agree with all of the above. Obviously Taylor scoring 3 will bag him the man of the match award and really it had to be him. But my man of the match would have gone to Lines. Last season he did very well when he joined us. This season he is in and out of the team due to tinkermans tinkering. He needs a run of games as he is the sort of player that plaing now and then effects him. But last night he rarely put a foot wrong. Thought he ran the middle of the park.
Taylor voted player of the night in League 2 according to this.... http://www.shoot.co.uk/league-two-r...tend-lead-at-the-top-as-barnet-beat-plymouth/
