Analysis: Hartlepool United provide harsh lesson to Maidenhead United following 4-0 victory at York Road

Three matches in, three wins, and Hartlepool United are top of the National League table – but it wasn’t all plain sailing at Maidenhead United on Saturday afternoon despite what the 4-0 scoreline would have you suggest.

Pools went into the game with a depleted squad without Gary Liddle (groin), David Parkhouse (international duty) and Luke Molyneux still regaining fitness after testing positive for coronavirus.

But the club received some good news ahead of the match as 17-year-old forward Joe Grey’s FA registration was approved in time for him to take part in the match at York Road.

On the field and a dismal first-half display in Berkshire should have seen Dave Challinor’s side trailing by more than one goal before Nicky Featherstone’s free-kick deflected in off Magpies skipper Alan Massey on the stroke of half-time.

Completely against the run of play and Pools somehow led 1-0 at the break. After that, a much improved and ruthless second-half display saw Claudio Ofosu, Ryan Johnson and Gavan Holohan make it a comfortable away victory.

Challinor described the result as a ‘get out of jail free card’ for his side and that's exactly what it was.

In the opening 45, Magpies forward Danilo Orsi hit the ball straight at Ben Killip from point-blank range and later dragged a shot narrowly wide after Pools defender Ryan Johnson failed to clear the danger.

Nathan Blissett also forced a good low stop from Killip from distance – a more ruthless side would have been out of sight at the break.

At the other end, Mark Shelton and Holohan had opportunities from the edge of the Maidenhead box but failed to test goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond.

For 45-minutes, Pools had been entirely outplayed by a side haven’t picked up a point this season. The new-look centre-back pairing of Johnson and Timi Odusina were shaky, disorganised and struggled to cope with Maidenhead's front two in the first half.

But with the game remaining goalless, it would only take one bit of quality to make a difference.

And with a slice of good fortune, that's what Pools got as Featherstone’s delivery deflected into the top right corner of the goal in first-half stoppage time.

Pools could breathe a sigh of relief, they’d got away with what was comfortably their worst 45-minutes of the season so far while Maidenhead were left shellshocked.

As a side who have lost their opening two games, conceding six goals in the process – to be losing despite their dominance must have been a huge mental blow.

Still, Hartlepool needed a reaction after the break and Ofosu provided that just two minutes after the restart. He made it 2-0 with a tidy finish into the bottom right corner following a neat exchange down the left with Shelton.

And just a few minutes later, it was 3-0 as Johnson smashed in his second goal in as many games as his half volley crashed in off the crossbar following Mason Bloomfield’s knock-down from an uncleared David Ferguson corner.

Just like that, Pools were now in a commanding position following a clinical five-minute spell.

Pools have been reaping the rewards from set-pieces and quality deliveries from the wings so far this season. They netted twice against both Aldershot and Chesterfield before scoring twice more following set-piece deliveries on Saturday.

Challinor’s side had provided a harsh but important lesson to their opponents, take your chances. Matches can hinge on small moments and that own goal just before half-time looked to have knocked the stuffing out of Maidenhead as they had nothing to offer after the break.

And with Hartlepool in control, it was a prime opportunity to introduce Grey to the fold for his competitive debut.

Within minutes of coming on, the teenager showed his raw fearlessness and technical ability as he cut in from the right, beating three players and firing a shot just over from 20-yards. Almost a dream introduction for the youngster.

As the game drew to a close, Holohan added some gloss to the scoreline with his effort from distance ricochetting past Ashby-Hammond and into the net.

The Irish midfielder has now been involved in 19 goals in his last 24 starts for Hartlepool in all competitions with 11 goals and eight assists – a remarkable record for someone who was in and out of the side last season.

He also leads the way for scoring for Pools so far this season with two – joint with Johnson and own goals.

The 4-0 scoreline is Pools’ biggest victory of 2020 so far, though it was far from their best performance.

They kept their first clean sheet of the campaign despite their defence being all over the place at times.

Though the fact Killip has gone under the radar so far this season has to be seen as a good sign. He's just going about his business quietly, barely putting a foot wrong, though still prone to a needless wonder outside of the box every now and again.

Hartlepool are yet to reach top gear in their opening three matches but have still have nine points to show for it.

The team will get better as they gel and grow accustomed to what the coaching staff are demanding from them.

But it’s important not to get carried away. On paper, Pools couldn’t have asked for better fixtures to start the campaign.

Their opening three matches have seen them face three of the four worst-performing teams who remained in the National League.

If Pools want to challenge, they need to be beating the type of opposition they’ve faced so far.

Thankfully, they’ve answered all questions asked of them in their opening three matches, but tougher tests await. Give it 10 matches or so and we'll see what this side are really about.

But for now, Hartlepool United are top of the National League table. Let's enjoy it while it lasts.

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