Graeme Lee delighted as Hartlepool United get back to winning ways at the first time of asking with Harrogate Town success
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Lee cut an frustrated figure a week ago at the Banks’s Stadium after watching his side lose their eight game unbeaten run but admits a positive week on the training ground helped them to a positive response against Harrogate.
Lee spent much of the week debating whether to make wholesale changes to his side after a busy February of fixtures but ultimately made just two changes from a week ago with Mark Shelton and Joe Grey returning to the starting line-up.
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Hide AdBut Pools, once again, had to do things the hard way after falling behind through Luke Armstrong’s goal midway through the first half.
Armstrong headed into the game with just one goal in his last 13 appearances after a blistering start to his Harrogate career but he did what most strikers tend to do against their former side’s when putting the Sulphurites in front.
But Pools were level within minutes when Luke Molyneux fired a stunning equaliser in from range to cap his 100th appearance for the club.
It triggered a positive shift in the game in favour of Pools who dominated for large spells before David Ferguson handed Lee’s side the lead with another fine strike from the edge of the area.
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Hide AdAnd despite some late pressure from the home side where Sunderland loan star Jack Diamond forced Ben Killip into a smart save, Pools were able to hold on to claim another remarkable comeback victory over Simon Weaver’s side this season.
“It feels really nice. We’re delighted,” said Lee.
“I probably overthought things coming into it because the bottom line was we weren’t quite at it at Walsall. So it was about getting back to what we do.
“All week we’ve trained with a high intensity and we started doing that in the game.
“The frustrating thing is you go 1-0 down again but the response and the belief to just keep doing what we do and we grew in strength and then Mols gets his tap in.”
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Hide AdLee added on Molyneux: “He does it time and time again but no-one can stop it when he does that and it was a fantastic goal.
“We’ve won the ball in the middle of the field and Crawfs has slotted a lovely ball through to Shelts who leaves Mols one v one with their centre half.
“I keep saying to Mols you’ve got to mix it up and go down the outside a few times to create that space.
“But he cut inside and as soon as it left his foot I’m thinking ‘if that’s hit the target it’s in’ because it looked fantastic, and it was.
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Hide Ad“And from then the momentum was with us and we played some fantastic football and opportunities started coming. Half-time was about keeping that momentum going.”
Pools now head into a huge week as they get set to host Rotherham United in the semi-final of the Papa John’s Trophy at the Suit Direct Stadium on Wednesday.