Are Hartlepool United in a relegation battle after Chesterfield show difference in class? The key takeaways from home defeat

It always felt as though it would be a difficult task for Hartlepool and that feeling was compounded inside five minutes when Armando Dobra fired through a crowded penalty area to beat Joel Dixon in what proved to be the only goal of the game.

John Askey praised Hartlepool for competing against a side who many feel are the National League champions elect and things might have been different had Emmanuel Dieseruvwe converted one of two big first half opportunities.

The 15-goal striker found himself in on goal inside the opening minute before losing his footing but would then go on to drag another opportunity wide later in the first half when played through one-on-one. But although Hartlepool competed in the game, Chesterfield were able to stand more than firm as Pools’ struggles continued.

And here The Mail looks at some of the key talking points from another home defeat:

Hartlepool committed but that’s not enough

Askey was probably right to compliment his players for their endeavour against Chesterfield. In both games against the league leaders this season Pools have given a solid account of themselves and they are, perhaps, unfortunate not to come away with any points over the 180 minutes-plus. And yet therein also lies the problem.

Nobody expected the National League to be easy, but Hartlepool’s aim was always to try and challenge to get back out of it as quickly as possible. And yet for all of their spirit here against Chesterfield, the Spireites exhibited a clear gulf between them and where Pools need to get to.

Although Dieseruvwe will want both of his first half opportunities back, Hartlepool had just five attempts at goal as per Wyscout, which is their second lowest total of the season behind the four in their win over Gateshead in August. But more significantly, none of those attempts came in the second half.

Chesterfield came out reinvigorated and were able to take a stranglehold on the game, almost suffocating Hartlepool into submission with Pools having just 30 per cent of possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half with the game very much being played in their own defensive third. The Spireites limited Askey’s side to their second lowest xG of the season at 0.33 behind only that of the 0.29 recorded in the win over Dagenham & Redbridge which, again, demonstrates the relative control they had in the game, despite Hartlepool’s efforts.

This all came without Paul Cook’s side particularly carving through Hartlepool. It felt more like a game of endurance as they looked to wear Pools down. But in doing so they also negated, or at the very least forced Askey to change to a more pragmatic approach in the game as Pools were much more direct than we tend to see.

As per Wyscout, 23.15 per cent of Hartlepool’s passes were classified as ‘long’ which is the highest ratio in Askey’s entire reign as manager. Hartlepool’s directness, if you will, tends to come from wide areas in crossing but that is another aspect which was altered against Chesterfield as they registered just seven crosses, their lowest in a game since the reverse fixture back in August where the Spireites limited them to just four crosses.

Naturally, some of this will be down to Askey adapting his philosophy somewhat to try and combat Chesterfield’s strengths. But it is also down to the quality in which Chesterfield possess.

They are the front runners in the division for a reason, having lost just twice all season, and they look every bit a title winning side at the halfway point of the campaign – a side who can adapt and get the job done in a variety of ways.

So yes, this wasn't necessarily a bad performance from Hartlepool, but it did demonstrate just how far short they are in terms of a side who are likely to get promoted at the end of the season, despite Askey’s claims of Pools not being far away.

Hartlepool’s missed opportunities

In saying that, Hartlepool still had two big opportunities in the first half with Dieseruvwe. The striker has been clinical for the majority of the campaign with 15 goals in 23 appearances across all competitions heading into the game but will have been left disappointed not to register against his former club.

It’s the second time in three league games you could argue Dieseruvwe has been out of form in front of goal after drawing a blank in the draw with Kidderminster last month, despite a series of good opportunities. Askey, however, was keen to back his striker post-match.

“We’ve had chances where on another day Mani would score two goals and it’s a different game then,” he said.

“The first one he’s slipped and then the second one he’s one-on-one with the keeper. But he’s played really well, he’s got hold of the ball and when we create a chance he’s the one it falls to, or he creates, so you can’t knock Mani. We’re just disappointed today he hasn’t been able to take them.”

Again, Askey is right to show his support of Dieseruvwe, given his efforts already this season. But what Dieseruvwe’s profligacy in front of goal does suggest is where Pools also need to improve and that is by contributing goals from other areas of the field.

After Dieseruvwe, Hartlepool’s next highest goalscorer is Tom Crawford with four – the midfielder enjoying his best return in front of goal already this season before Joe Grey and Jake Hastie with three. It means there is an added impetus on Dieseruvwe, something which won’t always pay off.

Are Hartlepool in a relegation battle?

Competing towards the top end of the table with play-offs as a bare minimum were the hopes at the beginning of the season. When Askey addresses the media it seems as though the play-offs remain the target as he often refers to his side ‘being in and around it’ come the New Year.

The problem is, Hartlepool, with this defeat, now find themselves some eight places and nine points adrift of the play-offs at the halfway point in the season. More alarmingly, they are just four points and six places above the drop zone in the National League.

For all there was a hope Hartlepool would compete to escape out of this division at the first attempt, their form since the opening month of the season has pointed them more towards escaping the division the wrong way as opposed to where they would like. Pools dropping through the division would be considered unfathomable and yet just ask Scunthopre United fans whether it is a possibility.

It still seems unlikely Hartlepool will suffer from back-to-back relegations and yet they are in the bottom four of the form table over the course of the last 10 games. If that were to continue into the New Year, against the backdrop of continued ownership uncertainty, they could yet be drawn into a fight they did not anticipate in the second half of the season.