Carlisle United 0-0 Hartlepool United: The key talking points as Pools blank in Brunton Park stalemate

Both sides hit the woodwork on a night which was low on quality in truth.

Brennan Dickenson saw his freekick cannon back off the bar in the first half in what would have been a carbon copy of the goal conceded at Bristol Rovers at the weekend, this time, however, the ball bounced down on the goalline and away from danger.

And in the second half it was Pools’ turn to be denied by the frame of the goal when Luke Molyneux wriggled free inside the area before finding David Ferguson only for his effort to hit goalkeeper Mark Howard and bounce up off the bar.

It was a result which moves Pools 10 points clear of the relegation zone and here are some of the key talking points from Brunton Park.

Setting the scene

Pools arrived in Cumbria still licking their wounds from Saturday’s painful defeat at Bristol Rovers and perhaps with a little bit of soul searching to do.

In that respect, a game just three days on from their defeat at the Memorial Stadium was the perfect tonic.

While Carlisle have enjoyed an improvement in their own form of late, Pools will have backed themselves under the proviso they competed at the same levels as they did in Bristol.

It was another opportunity to halt an alarming run of form which has seen Pools win just one of their last 10 games despite three different managers in the dugout during that time.

And it was a big game in the sense that they came up against a Carlisle side who have struggled themselves this season with the Blues 20th in the table ahead of kick-off.

And while it’s not considered an out-and-out derby, there is a little more significance on ‘Carlisle away’ on the fixture list than other games with over 600 Pools fans making the trip West.

Team News

Lee had a decision to make as to whether to stick with the side who performed so well at Bristol despite the defeat, or mix things up in the fear that defeat may have impacted their mentality.

The Pools boss decided to keep faith in his side with the only change being enforced as defender Jamie Sterry began his two match suspension with Reagan Ogle slotting in at right wingback.

Marcus Carver started for the second time in three days since his arrival from Southport while there was a return to the squad for defender Luke Hendrie who recovered from a calf strain.

Playing out from the back

What was noticeable from the off was Pools’ desire to play out from the back.

At times this season one of the criticisms of goalkeeper Ben Killip in particular has been his distribution but Lee had clearly focused on a desire for his side to play from the back against Carlisle with Killip passing to centre backs Gary Liddle, Timi Odusina and Neill Byrne frequently.

The result is conflicted. Although Pools maintained plenty of possession, there weren’t as many penetrative passes as they would have liked.

With that said, it is clearly a tactic which allows Pools to settle into games and get their foot on the ball which was certainly needed in the early stages at Brunton Park following their defeat at Bristol.

The key for Pools now is to utilise that style of play to more effect in attacking situations.

Carver fatigue

While it shows the trust Lee has in his new signing, Carver’s appearance from the off was a little surprising given the fitness concerns Lee raised about the 28-year-old.

With Carver joining from part-time football his match sharpness and conditioning was always likely to be slightly below that of his teammates and it showed on Tuesday as he struggled to hit the same energy levels as he managed on his debut.

It’s not a criticism of Carver, or his performance, as he came close to opening the scoring in the first half when firing wide from inside the area.

But it feels as though patience may be required with Pools’ new striker as he gets back up to speed with the demands of the Football League.

Another blank in front of goal

The main concern from the evening is the ‘nil’ in the goals for column.

That is now four teams from the lower reaches of the division who Pools have failed to register against in recent weeks which has to worry Lee.

Pools welcome another side below them in the table on Saturday in Stevenage and it feels as though the pressure is on a little bit with this run of fixtures seen as an opportunity to get back on track which has been missed.

The positives

As frustrating as it was in front of goal, Pools did add another point to their tally.

After losing so late in the day at the weekend the message going into the closing stages at Carlisle will have been; ‘if we can’t win the game, don’t lose it’ and Pools ensured that.

The goalless draw also sees another clean sheet, the fifth in all competitions since Lee has been in the dugout.

Clean sheets can often be overlooked during winless runs but if Pools are able to shut out their opponents then, with the chances they have been creating, you have to feel their fortunes will turn.

The Matty Daly saga

Pools were dealt a blow heading into the game following the news of midfielder Matty Daly’s return to Huddersfield Town, with the even more surprising news just hours before kick-off the 20-year-old had joined Pools’ League Two rivals Bradford City on-loan for the remainder of the season.

Lee admitted after the game there was always a possibility of Daly returning to the Terriers but the way it has played out from Huddersfield leaves more questions than answers.

Carlisle United XI: Howard, Mellor (Mellor ‘36), Armer, McDonald, Guy, ©, Dickenson, Mellish, Feeney, Gibson, Omotoye (Alessandra ‘65), Patrick

Subs: Norman, Devine, Riley, Abrahams, Whelan

Hartlepool United XI: Killip, Ogle, Byrne, Liddle, Odusina, Ferguson, Featherstone, Crawford (Shelton ‘65), Holohan, Molyneux (Grey ‘85), Carver (Cullen ‘53)

Subs: Boyes, Hull, Hendrie, Smith

Yellow cards - Odusina (51), Gibson (89)

Attendance: 4,570 (614 Pools)

Referee: Ollie Yates

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