Hartlepool 1 Havant & Waterlooville 1: Point for Pools in Richard Money's first home game but promotion dreams drift

Pools' players celebrate Liam Noble's 18th minute strike.Pools' players celebrate Liam Noble's 18th minute strike.
Pools' players celebrate Liam Noble's 18th minute strike.
Liam Noble's 10th goal of the season ensured Hartlepool United claimed a point on Richard Money's first home outing.

In an underwhelming show, Pools limped to a share of the spoils, having fallen behind to a Tyler Frost strike.

The result retains Pools' unbeaten start to life under Money but results elsewhere ensured the play off places slipped further out of Hartlepool's grasp, with the gap now 10 points to seventh.

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On the selection front, Money recalled fit again Andrew Davies to his starting XI, with Noble and Luke James also coming in.

There was no place in the matchday 16 for Marcus Dinanga, while Conor Newton and Lewis Hawkins were on the Pools bench.

Things got off to a far from ideal start for Pools, with the hosts falling behind on 12 minutes - Frost firing a low shot past Scott Loach, on to the post and in.

Money's men were behind for just six minutes, though.

After looking like he'd been shepherded away from danger Noble dug out a shot from 25 yards and with help from a slight deflection it skidded past former Pools keeper Ben Dudzinski.

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That was the only real bit of quality in the half, with Pools lacking spark and the atmosphere flat.

The opening exchanges of the second half did little to alter the mood as Pools, with a little more attacking intent following the introduction of Kenton Richardson, continued to struggle in breaking down a team on home turf.

In fact, it was the visitors who looked the more likely to walk away with all three points the longer the game went on.

First a left wing cross somehow evaded two unmarked Havant forwards and then, having not heeded that warning, Pools allowed Frost to again ghost into space in the area but this time Scott Loach was equal to his effort.

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While Money threw caution to the wind late on, it was Havant who were gifted a chance to nab a winner in the closing stages - Nicke Kabamba peeled off Carl Magnay and connected with a searching ball only for Loach to again dig Pools out of a hole with a reaction stop.

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