Hartlepool United 1-1 Stevenage: Early change, missed opportunities and becoming the hunted - takeaways from Pools draw

John Askey’s side jumped into a box seat heading into the final five games after a spirited draw with promotion chasing Stevenage.

Having struggled for large parts of the first half, a half which saw them fall behind thanks to Danny Rose’s headed goal, Pools came out fighting after the break and levelled within an instant through Nicky Featherstone to set up what first team coach Antony Sweeney described as a ‘bonkers’ second half.

Both sides could have won it and yet both sides deserved something from it.

And here are some of the key takeaways from yet more Suit Direct Stadium drama.

John Askey’s early tactical change

The formula for Hartlepool in recent weeks has become quite simple.

Start with three centre-backs, take the game as much as you can to the opposition, see where you are around the hour mark and introduce Wes McDonald while reverting to a back four.

It’s been a recipe for success as Pools have pegged teams back and, more often than not, been able to enjoy late success.

Here, though, Stevenage represented a different proposition as they suffocated Hartlepool.

Askey’s side couldn’t deal with the direct approach and were unable to get out as the ball remained locked inside their half for much of the opening 45 minutes.

It led Askey to make an early change, withdrawing Arsenal youngster Taylor Foran just after half-an-hour.

Foran wasn’t the only player in blue and white enduring a challenging afternoon up to that point, but he was the one sacrificed as Askey turned to the returning Mohamad Sylla.

Sylla’s introduction meant Askey reshuffled into a back four, with both the Frenchman and Featherstone operating more as a double pivot in an attempt to regain some control in midfield.

“It was totally tactics,” confirmed Sweeney.

“We just felt that as a management staff we needed to change something to try and get us a foothold in the game. Changing the shape at the back and going to a back four and bringing a presence on in midfield in front of the back four, we felt as though that could help us and I think it did.

“Taylor was the one today, there could have been various other players in that first 20-30 minutes because I don’t think we really got a foothold into the game and it was a little bit quicker than our players wanted to play at.”

Having limped to half-time, where they were also able to receive a strong word or two from Askey, the change, once again, worked for the Hartlepool manager as they came out to claim a spirited draw.

Hartlepool United’s disappointment

The first half was a disappointment but one thing which will have been an added disappointment throughout the game was Hartlepool’s failure to really test Stevenage goalkeeper Thimothee Lo-Tutala.

The 20-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur youngster is an emergency loan option for Steve Evans’ side who only made his debut in the 1-1 draw with Colchester United three days earlier.

In his first away game there was an opportunity to try and put him under more pressure than Hartlepool were able to muster having registered just two shots on target all game.

Hartlepool’s total of six attempts at goal, and five in their previous fixture at Grimsby Town, were their lowest totals under Askey, whilst the touches they were afforded in the opposition penalty area (19) were also lower than in recent weeks.

Hartlepool are still creating opportunities and are still scoring goals, so those won’t be stats they are too concerned about currently.

Likewise, Askey will be keen to ensure those figures haven’t plateaued.

Was Steve Evans’ anger justified?

One of the big talking points in the game came when Jakub Stolarczyk denied Stevenage midfielder Alex Gilbey towards the end of the first half.

Gilbey had found himself clear of a high Hartlepool defensive line before being met by an on-rushing Stolarczyk who had raced out of his area as the last line of defence.

Gilbey looked to lift the ball over Stolarczyk, who was able to make a block, with Sweeney conceding the ball may have hit Stolarczyk’s armpit but that a red card would have been harsh.

Nevertheless, it was an important moment in the game. At 1-0 down, and potentially down to 10 men, it would have been an uphill battle to claim anything from the game.

As it was, Hartlepool levelled the scores soon after.

Hartlepool United so close and yet so far

The spirit within the Hartlepool squad simply cannot be denied.

It was on show again here as they came from behind and forced yet another promotion chasing team into knowing they had been in a game.

One point was all it was in the end but it could so easily have been three.

This is the part where Euan Murray and Oliver Finney more than likely look away.

Murray, who has impressed since coming back into the set-up under Askey, had an opportunity which almost seemed more difficult to miss just yards out from goal.

But as the ball bounced around and fell to him, the Scotsman looked to hammer it through anyone in his way to find the back of the net, unfortunately taking it over the bar instead.

Murray was aghast with his hands on his head, a pose similar to that of Finney’s deep into stoppage time.

Having curled in brilliantly from 25-yards against Swindon at a similar stage of the game, Finney this time found himself unmarked in the Stevenage penalty area.

But instead of looking to sweep home first time, Finney opted to take a touch - one he was unable to bring under control, as the chance disappeared.

They were two really big opportunities for Hartlepool to add another two points to their total and you just fear whether those opportunities, likewise the two which came back off the woodwork against Leyton Orient, or Dan Kemp’s glanced header at Tranmere, could come back to haunt them.

Having said that, a point is more than what Hartlepool might have earned had it not been for David Ferguson’s heroics on the goalline when clearing Daryl Horgan’s effort with the last kick of the game.

The hunters become the hunted

So where does this leave things for Hartlepool?

They are outside the bottom two and in doing so they now become the hunted rather than the hunters.

That adds a different kind of pressure to the squad, with little room for error as the games tick by.

“Sometimes chasing is easier than being hunted,” said Sweeney.

“Now Crawley are going to have their sights set on us, we’ve got our sights on the two teams above us. So we’ll see in the next game against Newport what that brings to the players.

“But speaking with them, training with them, working with them, there’s a lot of hard work that’s gone into this run to get us out of the bottom two. I’m confident that a lot of hard work will go into keeping us out of the bottom two.”