Colchester United 1-1 Hartlepool United: Pools denied first league win by late leveller

Pools were within two minutes of claiming their first league win of the season only to be denied by Lubala’s header deep in stoppage time.

Wes McDonald scored his second goal in as many league games as Paul Hartley’s side looked on course to back up their Papa Johns Trophy success with a crucial first league win of the campaign.

McDonald capped a swift counter-attack from Pools who had to dig in throughout the second half before the pressure finally told.

Pools were dealt a triple blow ahead of the trip to Colchester as Josh Umerah, Mikael Ndjoli and Jamie Sterry all did not travel to Essex through injury.

Umerah suffered a knock on the ankle in the defeat at Leyton Orient a week ago with Ndjoli capitalising on his opportunity by scoring twice in his place in the midweek win over Harrogate Town.

But Ndjoli has not long returned from a hamstring injury himself and with back-to-back appearances picked up another slight injury to rule him out.

Meanwhile Sterry, who suffered an injury-plagued pre-season was the third to miss out after suffering a setback following the win over Harrogate.

It meant Jack Hamilton would lead the line for Hartley’s side with Reghan Tumilty coming in for Sterry at full-back.

Deadline day signing Clarke Oduor was on the bench with Ndjoli missing out as Brody Paterson kept his spot ahead of David Ferguson.

And Pools were dealt another stroke of misfortune in the opening 10 minutes when captain Nicky Featherstone was unable to shake off a heavy challenge from Marley Marshall Miranda and was subsequently forced off, signalling an issue with his ankle as the reason.

A game low on quality in the early stages created little in front of goal until Featherstone’s replacement Mohamad Sylla fired off target after some positive link up with Hamilton.

Luke Chambers headed well over from Noah Chilvers’ cross before Pools opened the scoring just before the half-hour mark.

Cole Skuse was dispossessed in midfield which allowed Tumilty to race away down the right, but instead of going for goal he was able to pick out McDonald in the middle who swept home superbly at the first time of asking for his second goal in as many league games.

The goal led to U’s head coach Wayne Brown making a change as he replaced Skuse with former West Ham United man Freddie Sears who was straight into the action glancing just wide from another Chilvers cross.

Tom Crawford headed over from McDonald’s free kick on the right before Hamilton spurned a good opportunity to double the lead when off target after strong work in midfield from Mouhamed Niang.

The U’s began the second half on the front foot with substitute Lubala testing Ben Killip from the edge of the area after Newcastle United midfielder Matty Longstaff had breezed through the Pools midfield.

Longstaff himself came close to debut goal when flashing Al-Amin Kazeem’s cross wide.

Pools almost caught the home side out on the counter-attack as Hamilton found McDonald around 25-yards out but he refused the option of a first time effort and was crowded out in the process.

Paterson conceded a needless free kick on the hour as Chilvers was inches away from picking out Kwesi Appiah at the back post before Hamilton fired off target again from the angle of the area after an excellent first touch on the shoulder.

Euan Murray escaped punishment with several on the Colchester bench appealing for a handball by the Scotsman from a Chilvers free kick before, 10 minutes from time, the referee again waved away protests after Murray appeared to bundle over Frank Nouble in the area.

New signing Oduor was brought on for his debut in place of Hamilton for the final quarter of the game and almost assisted what would have ensured three points for Pools when picking out Jake Hastie in the area who skewed wide.

But with Pools clinging on for much of the second half, the pressure eventually told as a cross from the right was powerfully headed home by Lubala as the wait for a first league win goes on.

Colchester United XI: O’Hara, Tchamadeu (Coxe), Chambers, Dallison, Kazeem, Skuse (Sears), Marshall-Miranda (Lubala), Newby (Chesters), Longstaff, Chilvers, Appiah (Nouble)

Subs: Hornby, Eastman

Hartlepool United XI: Killip, Tumilty, Menayese, Lacey, Murray, Paterson, Featherstone © (Sylla), Niang, Crawford (Shelton), McDonald (Hastie), Hamilton (Oduor)

Subs: Letheren, Ferguson, Grey