Barrow 3-1 Hartlepool United: Injury confusion, captain change and a debut goal - the key takeaways from Pools defeat

Pools gave themselves an insurmountable task when goals from Josh Gordon, Ben Whitfield and Billy Waters gave the home side an emphatic early lead in the game with the travelling 345 Hartlepool supporters forced to watch on in despair as their side crumbled before their eyes.

Gordon pounced on a mistake from Ben Killip who was caught in possession outside of his area to curl in well from distance before Whitfield hammered in a second four minutes later.

It left Pools shell shocked as wave after wave of Barrow attacks continued with little in the way of resistance before Waters tapped into an empty net from Gordon’s pass with the Hartlepool defence nowhere to be seen.

Curle’s side did improve after the break, as Barrow eased off the accelerator, and managed to grab a consolation through debutant Christopher Missilou.

And here are some of the key takeaways from a desperate afternoon at Holker Street.

Missilou signs and starts

Interim manager Curle has been persistent in his message when it comes to the free agent market in that he won’t waste any of the money available to him on players who he does not think will enhance the Hartlepool squad in the here and now.

That focus shifted, however, over the last week after the confirmation of Tom Crawford's long-term injury.

As such, Curle turned to a somewhat familiar face in 30-year-old Missilou who was announced less than 90 minutes before kick-off at Holker Street and subsequently thrown straight into the starting line-up. Missilou played 20 times under Curle at Northampton Town in League One and took the place of Callum Cooke to face Barrow.

It was, perhaps, harsh on Cooke who has enjoyed a run in the side of late, Curle himself also suggesting Cooke was ‘unfortunate’ not to start.

Missilou was, like most, missing for the first half as the game passed him by but he was able to work his way into things after the break including a goal on debut.

The former French youth star struck well through a crowded penalty area to beat Paul Farman and give a little bit of respect to the scoreline.

Significance of shirt

Missilou was handed the number 28 shirt when making his debut, the squad number which had been assigned to Chris Maguire in September.

Magurie was the final signing of Paul Hartley’s tenure after arriving on a free after the close of the transfer window but was unable to make an appearance for the club owing to a number of contractual issues while the player awaits the outcome of an FA investigation surrounding alleged betting breaches.

Maguire, it was revealed, no longer has a contract at Hartlepool and, as such, is no longer at the club, with Missilou taking his shirt number further evidence of Maguire’s position.

Ferguson confusion

There are several things can be dissected when it comes to Hartlepool's performance, or lack thereof in the first half. But one of the more peculiar happenings was with defender David Ferguson and how long he had to continue with injury before being substituted.

After Barrow had surged into a 2-0 lead, Ferguson went down off the ball clutching at his lower back and hip region. But despite being in some discomfort, Ferguson was not withdrawn for over 10 minutes before Clarke Oduor was brought on.

In that time, Pools conceded a third, where Ferguson could barely move when attempting to track back as both Gordon and Waters advanced clear on goal.

Ferguson has already been shoehorned into a centre-back role in recent weeks with Euan Murray the only fit option in that area of the field and here had to do so while visibly struggling with his mobility due to injury.

Curle said: “A couple of times I looked around at the bench and thought about ‘Plan B’ but didn’t like the look of that. I looked at ‘Plan C’, didn’t like the look of that, and then you’re thinking you need Fergie to stay on.

“He gave us an extra five, six, seven, eight minutes then it’s one of them and reshuffling the pack, which we did again at half-time with a change of personnel and with our left-back going to right-back, right-back going to centre-back and left-winger coming in to play at left-back, which is not ideal.”

Barrow’s physio assistance

Within that confusion regarding Ferguson’s situation came a moment which almost epitomises where Hartlepool are at with the defender requiring treatment from Barrow’s physio after the exit of Michael Harding earlier in the week.

If Hartlepool’s form were better, it would be an issue that would more than likely be overlooked. But given the cloud of desperation around the club at this moment in time, it felt like part of the overhaul nadir in which the club finds itself. Bottom of the table. Out of ideas. Out of options and, for now, low on staff.

Skipper subbed

Half-time brought a surprise in that captain Featherstone did not return for the second half.

The Pools skipper was rarely involved in the opening 45 minutes as Barrow bypassed the Hartlepool midfield with consummate ease but, nevertheless, it remains a significant statement when your captain is withdrawn from the game without an injury.

Curle told The Mail: “It was just purely to change the personality and change the shape. I don’t read anything into it.

“Nicky is exactly the same as every other player. If I see something where I think we can get an opportunity, I'll change it.

He added: “We needed to get on the front foot. At 3-0 down you’re not going to play your way back into the game. We needed to have more of a dynamic structure to us and get on the front foot.”