Hartlepool United 1-1 Sutton United analysis – Pools keep calm and carry on in the National League despite postponements and coronavirus concerns

Friday saw the Premier League and EFL announce that they would be suspending fixtures until at least April 4 due to the coronavirus outbreak. But there was nothing from the ever-unpredictable National League.

As Hartlepool United made the near 300-mile trip down to Sutton, news filtered through that a National League board meeting would be taking place regarding their next move.

The hours ticked by and uncertainty grew before some clarity was eventually provided. The next move, do nothing – the National League would go ahead as planned this weekend.

In spite of their Premier League, EFL, Welsh, Scottish and Irish counterparts shutting down, the National League would stick to government advice. Keep calm and carry on.

The National League is the premier stage for the gritty charm of non-league football, where the worlds of the professional and semi-pro collide. Now it’s been thrust into the limelight – but at what cost?

A sense of impending doom has engulfed the footballing world and the National League is no different despite the apparent stubbornness to keep things going.

The decision not to suspend fixtures was protested by several National League clubs with half of the matches being postponed due to concerns over the virus. Even those whose games went ahead were quick to voice their displeasure.

But Pools and Sutton were two of the lucky or perhaps unlucky few whose game would go ahead.

The iconic keyboard riff of the Final Countdown echoed ominously around Gander Green Lane prior to kick-off with a sense of dark irony – ‘will things ever be the same again?’

A bumper crowd of 2,126, boosted by roughly 300 travelling Poolies, piled into the stands. It seems not even a global pandemic can stop some from ritualistically enjoying football on a Saturday afternoon – even if it proves to be for the last time in a while.

There’s a lot of uncertainty and questions surrounding football with very few answers.

The National League show continued over the weekend but with many clubs refusing to play, a suspension is looming with a Monday meeting planned.

Because of this, Pools’ match felt almost as artificial as the pitch it was being played on. Will it matter? What’s going to happen afterwards? ‘We have absolutely no idea,’ Challinor said on behalf of everyone.

But for those in attendance at Gander Green Lane, the coronavirus cloud was blown away by the kick-off whistle as for the next 90-minutes, Sutton v Hartlepool would be all that mattered.

And just three minutes in, the sense of unfathomable frustration and displeasure that only football (or particularly Hartlepool United) can bring came to the fore. Goalkeeper Ben Killip dawdled on the ball and blasted his attempted clearance off the charging Isaac Olaofe to gift Sutton an early lead.

It was a moment to forget for the England C international who had been in good form since his return to the side last month.

Soon after, Killip went some way to making amends with a fine one-on-one stop to claw away David Ajiboye’s effort.

But that hectic start to the match slowed down to a lethargic pace. Pools were sloppy and disjointed in possession, a lack of conviction in the final third was evident as Sutton stopper Nik Tzanev didn’t have a save to make.

The sides went in 1-0 at half-time where ‘words were exchanged’ in the Hartlepool dressing room after a poor opening 45.

Challinor was looking for a reaction and he got just that eight minutes after the restart. Josh Hawkes picked out Luke Molyneux who laid the ball off for Gavan Holohan to curl the ball devastatingly into the far corner of the goal.

Just like that, it’s 1-1.

In the build-up to the match, the Irish midfielder referred to National League players as ‘guinea pigs’ for playing on through the coronavirus football suspensions.

And the ludicrousness of the situation was not lost on him after scoring as he sarcastically covered his mouth in celebration. With a huge slice of irony, players who had refrained from shaking hands prior to kick-off were now in a mass huddle in front of the ecstatic Pools fans packed behind the goal.

The beautiful game may be on life support, but it’s not dead yet.

Looking at the bigger picture, a point wouldn’t be a massive help to Pools in their play-off push – they had to go for it.

But that never quite happened as Sutton looked the more likely side to go on and win it.

Harry Beautyman pounced on a long ball and rolled the ball past Killip only to be denied by the post.

Deep into stoppage time, Ajiboye thought he’d won it as his effort deflected towards the goal only to be heroically cleared off the line by Gary Liddle to rescue the point.

The 1-1 draw sees Challinor’s side move up to ninth in the table but are now three points off the top seven with several teams around them having games in hand. It’s going to be a big ask in the final seven matches, if and when they end up taking place.

And as we prepare to enter this footballess void, the escapism provided even from frustrating draws like Pools experienced this weekend will be sorely missed in these troubled times.

Who knows what will next Saturday bring. Hopefully it’s something more appealing than forced self-isolation.