City of Liverpool 1-5 Hartlepool United: Pools avoid first half scare to progress in FA Trophy

Emmanuel Dieseruvwe scored twice either side of Nicky Featherstone’s third goal since returning to the club before late strikes from Callum Cooke and a first Hartlepool goal from academy star Louis Stephenson put an emphatic shine on the scoreline.

Those second half goals came after John Askey’s side threatened to drop to a new low this season at half-time after finding themselves a goal down at the break thanks to Josh Quarless’ early free kick.

Hartlepool were aided when their Northern Premier League West hosts were reduced to 10-men after Quarless was dismissed on the hour before captain Danny Mitchley was also sent off deep into second half stoppage time as Askey’s side moved into the fourth round of the competition.

Having had a couple of weeks to mull over their heavy defeat to Bromley after their trip to AFC Fylde was postponed, Pools made the trip to Merseyside knowing they had very little to gain but almost everything to lose against a team some 73 places below them in the football pyramid. Win and it was a case of what is expected of Askey’s side. Lose and it would have opened up an entirely new set of concerns for the Pools boss who made three changes for the tie.

In came new signing Ciaran Brennan who joined the club on a month-long loan deal from Sheffield Wednesday and he was joined by the returning Emmanuel Onariase after the centre-back had missed the defeat to Bromley through illness. Askey also handed a start to Joe Grey who took Tom Crawford’s place after the midfielder was ruled out through injury.

In essence, this was still a very strong Hartlepool line-up and, perhaps, not far away from what will be selected against National League leaders Chesterfield in a week’s time.

But Hartlepool did the one thing you should avoid in these cup situations, however, as they gifted their lower league opposition a head-start within three minutes to buoy the home faithful.

A loose ball saw Mitchley steal a march on Onariase which forced Kieran Wallace into bringing the City of Liverpool skipper down as up stepped the Purples’ talisman Quarless to curl in low beyond Joel Dixon.

The travelling Hartlepool supporters who braved the torrential conditions housed behind the goal in the ‘Dodge Kop’ must have been fearing the worst at that stage as a cup upset was very much on the cards.

And it remained on the cards throughout the opening 45 minutes as, despite Hartlepool’s relative dominance in possession, they were unable to find an equaliser thanks to a couple of inspired saves from Liverpool stopper Jack Atkinson.

Cooke and Dieseruvwe both sent opportunities over the bar before Cooke then created the first real clear cut opportunity after a neat exchange, first with Wallace and then with Grey, to find space in the area. The midfielder opened his body to shape an effort into the far corner only for Atkinson to save well with his legs.

Jake Hastie almost benefited from the conditions when he saw his cross from the right almost drift in – Atkinson required to parry over the bar before the resulting corner saw Pools have a goal disallowed when Dieseruvwe headed in Featherstone’s delivery only for Cooke to be penalised for a push in the penalty area.

It already felt as though things were going against Hartlepool as Paul McNally’s side tried to threaten on the break through Quarless and Mitchley.

Atkinson then made a fine save to deny Featherstone when he met David Ferguson’s knockdown from an in-swinging Hastie cross before he was on hand to thwart Featherstone again on the stroke of half-time when he swept Hastie’s low cross goalwards.

The home side were roared off by their supporters at the break who harboured dreams of a stunning upset. For Pools, however, despite their opportunities, it was all about what the scoreboard read.

The second half presented challenges of its own as Askey’s side were kicking uphill against the blustering wind and rain – Dixon seeing an early goalkick blow back towards his own 18-yard box in the early going.

Anytime the home side caught a sight of goal they chanced their arm with Elliot Morris and Callum Schorah both trying to catch Dixon out with the wind from range.

Fortunately for Hartlepool supporters, their side clicked into gear and levelled within 10 minutes of the restart through Dieseruvwe’s header.

New signing Brennan intercepted an attack before finding Grey who was busy enough to find Ferguson on the left and he stood a brilliant cross up for Dieseruvwe to attack and find the corner.

It was just the tonic Askey and his players needed in what could have become an uphill struggle in more ways than one the longer things went on.

Hartlepool’s chances were then aided when Quarless was shown a straight red card for a foul on Onariase on halfway as Pools were then able to exert their superiority.

Cooke flashed wide after good work from both Grey and Hastie before the Scotsman was on target with a cross from the right to pick out Featherstone who, at the third time of asking in the game, got the better of Atkinson with a fine looping header for his third goal since returning to the club.

Dieseruvwe almost added a third when he hooked Ferguson’s low cross goalwards only to be denied by the bar. But Hartlepool’s talisman wouldn’t be denied four minutes later when he finished well inside the area after strong work from Ferguson in the build-up before a challenge on Grey fell his way.

That knocked any remaining steam out of the brave home side as Pools were then able to extend their lead in stoppage time – first through Cooke who found the corner well from the edge of the area before a special moment for academy defender Stephenson who placed a brilliant first-time effort into the corner from Grey’s pass. Stephenson was mobbed by his team-mates and received big praise from manager Askey after the game as Pools were able to avoid a potential scare to run out comfortable winners, with City of Liverpool still finding time to be reduced to nine men when Mitchley was dismissed for an altercation with Wallace.

City of Liverpool XI: Atkinson, Simpson, Hont, Rooney, Grogan, Wills, Schorah, Allen (Conteh), Mitchley ©, Quarless, Morris

Subs: Bahula, Jebrin, Sonko, Jones

Hartlepool United XI: Dixon, Brennan, Onariase, Mattock, Hastie (Stephenson), Featherstone, Wallace, Ferguson ©, Cooke, Grey, Dieseruvwe

Subs: Jameson, Burton, Johnson, Paterson, Dolan, Umerah

Referee: Sam Mulhall