Four talking points from Hartlepool United's 0-0 draw at Barnet

But after 90 goalless minutes in a game of few chances, it wasn’t really worth all the fuss in the end.

Both sides registered just two fairly tame shots on target apiece as the spoils were shared in North London despite Pools applying some late pressure.

Here are some of the main talking points from the match…

Fake news

Prior to kick-off, the BBC Sport website listed that the fixture had been postponed for a third time which understandably caused some confusion amongst supporters.

The reality was that both sets of players were out warming up and the match was set to go ahead as planned on Tuesday evening.

But the fun didn’t stop there.

With 88-minutes on the clock, the score remained goalless with Pools looking the more likely to find a winner in the latter stages.

But those watching Sky Sports or logged on to the BBC Sport website would have been fooled into thinking Barnet had snatched a late winner as it was reported that Anthony Wordsworth had found the net for The Bees.

We’ve already seen some blunders so far this season with Rhys Oates still officially credited on the BBC Sport website as scoring against Aldershot Town on the opening day despite Gavan Holohan being the player actually who found the net.

But this was something else, two major media outlets had both reported a goal completely out of thin air yet with such precision.

If anything, it probably helped make the goalless draw a bit more satisfying for Poolies who thought their side had thrown away a point in the dying moments of the game.

Defensive turnaround

Since the 5-0 defeat to Torquay United, Dave Challinor has named a consistent back four and goalkeeper of David Ferguson, Ryan Johnson, Tyler Magloire, Lewis Cass and Henrich Ravas.

All five of the players are new to Pools this season and none of them had played together as a unit before the 2-0 FA Cup first round defeat at Salford City after extra-time.

But since then, the Hartlepool back-line has looked stronger as the games have gone by – a complete contrast to the mess we saw against Torquay last month.

Lewis Cass has played every minute of every game for Pools so far this season and is quickly becoming the ‘Mr Consistent’ of the side. There’s nothing flashy or egotistical about the Newcastle United loanee, he’s just a hard-working defender who gets on with his job with minimal fuss.

Another loan player, Tyler Magloire seems to be getting better with each game he plays as well. He backed up an excellent goalscoring display at Yeovil with another solid performance and his first clean sheet in a Pools shirt.

There are clear comparisons to be made with Timi Odusina given Magloire’s front-foot defensive approach, obvious pace and recent experience playing under-23s football.

At the moment, Odusina is fit again but will have to fight to earn his place back in the starting line-up which could prove a difficult task at the moment.

A lack of firepower persists

It's easy to say after a goalless draw but Pools are crying out for someone to just put the ball in the net and score some scrappy goals.

In fact, Tuesday night’s draw ended a club record run of 20 consecutive away league games in which Pools had found the net.

And barring a couple of dangerous crosses and tame shots from outside the box, they didn’t pose much of a threat at Barnet.

Rhys Oates, who kept his place in the starting line-up after an impressive showing at Yeovil Town on Saturday, was left isolated as a lone striker and prodded just one effort wide while on the pitch.

Meanwhile, Mason Bloomfield has returned to training following an ankle injury and David Parkhouse is having to deal with off-field issues which will remain private.

But it’s not just about the lack of goals for the Hartlepool forwards, it’s the lack of efforts on goal. Nine games into the National League season and both Bloomfield and Oates are yet to register a shot on target.

If Oates can replicate the type of performance he showed at Yeovil then Pools shouldn’t have too much of a problem, but they need someone who they can rely on to get shots on target and ideally score some goals.

Unfortunately, that is far easier said than done.

Travel fatigue

After making a 650-mile round trip to Yeovil Town over the weekend, to follow it up with a 500-mile journey to Barnet and back on the Tuesday was always going to prove a tall order for the Hartlepool squad.

Keen not to change a winning formula, Challinor named the same starting line-up from the Yeovil win which would have undoubtedly taken a lot out of the players.

And for large parts of the match at The Hive, Pools looked like a side who had spent the best part of 20-hours on a coach over the past few days.

Their passing wasn’t anywhere near as slick compared to Saturday and their movement was sorely lacking in the final third.

Still, the side showed good levels of fitness late on as they applied pressure on Barnet and pushed for a winner.

They were a goal away from it being a perfect away win and six points from six but it was too little too late in the end.

Now they can get back to the training ground and enjoy a free weekend ahead of another long midweek trip down to Solihull Moors next Tuesday.

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