Hartlepool United 1-1 Wealdstone: Mani Dieseruvwe's 98th minute goal preserves unbeaten record

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Mani Dieseruvwe’s added time equaliser helped Pools preserve their unbeaten record, cancelling out Micah Obiero’s opener as Pools drew 1-1 with Wealdstone.

The two sides came into the game at opposite ends of the table with Pools in sixth following an impressive start to the new campaign, winning two of their first three games and holding Southend to a goalless draw despite having skipper Luke Waterfall sent off.

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Darren Sarll's side were bidding for a fourth consecutive league clean sheet having managed just five in the entirety of last season; goalkeeper Joel Dixon, who was transfer listed in April, hadn't conceded in more than 270 minutes of football.

It's been a remarkable turnaround for the Middlesbrough-born stopper, who looked bereft of confidence in a torrid first season with Pools and kept just one clean sheet in 26 games, losing his place twice.

Mani Dieseruvwe's 98th minute equaliser rescued a point for Pools against Wealdstone.Mani Dieseruvwe's 98th minute equaliser rescued a point for Pools against Wealdstone.
Mani Dieseruvwe's 98th minute equaliser rescued a point for Pools against Wealdstone.

In truth, Dixon has not had too many saves to make although he coped well with Tamworth's bombardment of his box in midweek; Darren Sarll described the contest in Staffordshire as being more like warfare.

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Pools have, so far, had luck on their side and the woodwork came to their rescue twice in a remarkable 10 second spell deep into added time on Tuesday night but have defended resolutely and look a much more solid side than last season.

The defensive personnel has, for the most part, remained the same, although Billy Sass-Davies made an assured full debut in Staffordshire but the structure and organisation under Sarll has made a marked difference.

Jack Hunter and Nathan Sheron have made an impressive start to their Pools careers in central-midfield, while the front line, now featuring League Two promotion-winner Adam Campbell, have worked diligently out of possession.

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The Stones, meanwhile, arrived in the North East winless in their first three games under new boss Matt Taylor.

The Ruislip outfit found themselves in a precarious position towards the end of last term and were faced with a backlog of games but survived under Sam Cox after winning three of their last five games.

Cox, who skippered Stones and won 26 caps for Guyana in his playing days, looked a sure thing to be given the job on a permanent basis in the summer but the club opted instead for former Portsmouth, Bolton and West Ham midfielder Matt Taylor.

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Wealdstone began the transition from a part-time to a hybrid model in May, training three times a week, but have endured a difficult start to the season.

Taylor's side were fourth from bottom prior to kick-off and had lost all of their first three matches by the odd goal, going down to Dagenham and Redbridge, Oldham and Sutton.

The Stones signed 37-year-old defender Adrian Mariappa and experienced winger Enzio Boldewijn in the summer and manager Darren Sarll was expecting a tough test, pointing out that the visitors had been competitive in all three of their matches so far.

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Pools made two changes, welcoming back skipper Luke Waterfall after he served a one match ban following his dismissal at the weekend and mercurial midfielder Anthony Mancini, who made an impact from the bench in Staffordshire.

Billy Sass-Davies dropped to the bench despite a resolute display in midweek, as did veteran midfielder Nicky Featherstone.

Greg Sloggett was in the squad for the first time this season after recovering from an ankle injury and was joined by new man Darren Robinson, who signed on loan from Derby in week and was an unused substitute at Tamworth.

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There was no Dan Dodds, Luke Charman, who has been ruled out for at least a month, or Gary Madine, who continues to work his way towards full fitness.

Matt Taylor made just one change to his Stones side that were beaten 1-0 at home to Sutton in midweek with midfielder Max Kretzschmar replacing teenager Yacou Traore, who is on loan from Middlesbrough.

Between them, the two teams had scored just three goals so far this season but supporters heading to the Prestige Group Stadium in the hope of an action-packed afternoon could afford to feel hopeful - Richie Bennett bagged a hat-trick as Pools put seven past the Stones on their way to promotion in 2021 while Mitch Hancox scored an added time equaliser in a 4-4 draw last December.

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The home side made a strong start and found themselves in a promising position when Joe Grey was tripped on the edge of the box. Anthony Mancini, who lined up in the middle while Adam Campbell moved to the left, hit the wall with his free-kick but Tom Parkes got his head to the loose ball and forced Adrian Mariappa into an acrobatic clearance.

Mancini was the first man to test goalkeeper Archie Matthews when he drifted into space and lashed a shot at his near post but it proved comfortable for the former Swindon stopper.

Despite a lively first five minutes from the hosts, the Stones shaded the opening exchanges and played some nice football, looking to utilise some marauding overlapping runs.

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While the visitors failed to create too much in the way of presentable opportunities, although Joel Dixon had to be off his line quickly on a couple of occasions, the Stones took the sting out of the home crowd and were beginning to make life difficult for Darren Sarll's side.

The home faithful were beginning to show a few signs of frustration as their side struggled to keep hold of the ball until Joe Grey almost stole in on goal following good play by Campbell and Mancini only to be denied by the toe of Jack Cook, who timed his last ditch tackle to perfection.

After a break in play when Joel Dixon went down, Darren Sarll changed his side's shape in an attempt to provide more support for a frustrated Mani Dieseruvwe, with Pools switching to a 4-4-2 with Mancini moving to the right and Grey going up top.

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However, it was Wealdstone who fashioned the next opportunity when a low ball across the face was poked goalwards by frontman Micah Obiero and a slight touch from a Pools defender turned it past the post and out for a corner.

A coming together between Louis Stephenson and Wealdstone's Brandon Mason threatened to get the crowd back into the game but Pools continued to look a bit unsure of themselves in an attacking sense while at the other end Obiero flicked an effort over the bar after a cross from Kallum Cesay.

The hosts reverted back to their original 4-2-3-1 but Wealdstone went ahead in the 38th minute when Max Kretzschmar got in behind Louis Stephenson, who will be disappointed with his role in the opener, and pulled the ball back to Micah Obiero to score his first goal of the new season.

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A testing first half edged towards a rather ignominious end as Pools were pushed back by Wealdstone, who blazed a couple of speculative efforts over the bar from range and were good value for their lead at the break.

The home side did manage one positive moment on the stroke of half time when Joe Grey drilled a half-volley wide from the edge of the box before heading for the tunnel and, presumably, some stern words from manager Darren Sarll.

Sarll, perhaps unsurprisingly, pulled no punches at the interval and made a double change, taking Louis Stephenson, who endured a torrid first half, and Adam Campbell off. Kieron Freeman and Nicky Featherstone, who have a combined age of 67, were on to add some experience and composure to the faltering Pools ranks.

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Featherstone started to exert his influence on the game at the base of midfield and was at the heart of one of the home side's best passages of the game five minutes after the restart when he played a lofted pass to Grey in space on the flank and David Ferguson's subsequent cross was headed over the bar by Mani Dieseruvwe.

The mercurial Mancini, who had struggled to get a grip of things for the most part, was beginning to make his influence felt and almost powered through on the hour while space threatened to open up for Dieseruvwe moments later but the frontman took too long, much to the frustration of the home fans.

Darren Sarll made two more changes, handing debuts to Greg Sloggett and Darren Robinson as Anthony Mancini and Jack Hunter made way; although Pools were trying to turn to screw and Featherstone's introduction had made a positive difference, the home side were still looking like a bit of a blunt instrument at the top end of the pitch.

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The Prestige Group Stadium was beginning to feel decidedly flat, although Robinson and Sloggett both showed a few nice touches and Tom Pakres headed Kieron Freeman's corner over after attacking it well.

With less than 20 minutes to go Nathan Sheron, rather fortuitously, beat the offside trap and drilled a low shot across the face which proved comfortable for Matthews; in truth, he might have been better off looking for Dieseruvwe at the back post.

Dieseruvwe had been forced to feed off scraps for the first 80 minutes but almost burst into life as the clocked ticked down when his stinging half-volley was parried clear by Matthews after he'd done superbly to bring the ball down on his chest on the edge of the box. Not for the first time in the afternoon, Pools made a mess of the resulting corner.

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The home side pressed on into seven minutes of added time and almost snatched an equaliser but the impressive Archie Matthews was, again, equal to Mani Dieseruvwe’s effort.

That look like it was going to be it but Pools fashioned one final chance when Mani Dieseruvwe latched onto Dixon’s hopeful ball over the top and poked his finish beyond Matthews, opening his account for the campaign in the 98th minute and ensuring Pools preserved their unbeaten record.

Pools: Dixon; Stephenson (sub, Freeman, 45), Waterfall (c), Parkes, Ferguson; Sheron, Hunter (sub, Sloggett, 66); Grey, Campbell (sub, Featherstone, 45), Mancini (sub, Robinson, 66); Dieseruvwe.

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Wealstone: Matthews; Cook, Dyer, Mariappa (c), Mason, Cesay (sub, Hutchinson, 70); Georgiou (sub, Traore, 79), Scott (sub, Sandat, 63), Kretzschmar (sub, Dreher, 62), Boldewijn; Obiero.

Att: 3,614 (33 away).

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