Hartlepool United 2-1 Rochdale RECAP: Graeme Lee wins his first league game in charge at the Suit Direct Stadium
Pools welcome Rochdale to the Suit Direct Stadium looking to end a run of five straight defeats in the league that has seen them drop to 17th in the table.
The last time Lee stepped out at the Suit Direct Stadium came 5,038 days ago when he featured in the heart of the Pools defence in a 1-0 defeat to Northampton Town.
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Hide AdAnd Lee has admitted he can’t wait to experience the emotions of being back at the Suit Direct Stadium this evening.
“You just want it to be kick-off and you just want the game to be here,” said Lee.
“Seeing the atmosphere when I’ve been in previous weeks - I came to the Exeter game and I looked at the fans and how they were and I just wanted to be in the dugout. I wanted that to be me.
“That is going to be me on Wednesday night and I just can’t wait.”
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Hide AdMeanwhile club director Adrian Bevington has also revealed the decision behind the appointment of Lee and his assistant, Michael Nelson, insisting the board were hugely impressed by their leadership skills.
"What was very impressive was the clarity in which they spoke when we sat down with them,” said Pools’ non-executive director.
“It was really seamless how they presented it. Obviously they’re both on the same page in their thinking which was really important to us.
"We feel that their leadership skills are really important for what we need to take us forward.”
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Hide AdPools arrive here this evening on the back of two impressive displays in the Papa John’s Trophy and the FA Cup.
Lee’s side will face Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the Papa John’s Trophy after their win over Sheffield Wednesday while the reward for their 1-0 win over Lincoln City at the weekend will be a home tie with Championship side Blackpool in the third round of the FA Cup..
Stay tuned to the Hartlepool Mail for team news and updates at the Suit Direct Stadium as Pools host Rochdale in League Two.
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Hartlepool United 2-1 Rochdale LIVE: Updates from Graeme Lee’s first game in charge at the Suit Direct Stadium
Key Events
- Mark Cullen equalises for Hartlepool
- Josh Andrews gives Rochdale the lead
- Hartlepool United XI: Killip, Sterry, Byrne, Liddle, Odusina, Ferguson, Featherstone, Shelton, Daly, Molyneux, Cullen
- Subs: Mitchell, Francis-Angol, Ogle, Crawford, Grey, Smith, Holohan
- Rochdale XI: Lynch, O’Keeffe, White, Taylor, O’Connell, Morley, Beesley, Dorsett, Odoh, Andrewss, Kelly
- Graeme Lee takes charge of first League Two game as Pools boss
The visitors enjoying a good spell of possession before a long ball is cushioned down into the path of Odoh who fires over
Molyneux forces O’Connell into danger early on with the defender taking it past his own keeper before clearing
Both teams head down the tunnel having finished their warm-ups.
Kick off fast approaching at the Suit Direct Stadium.
𝙇𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣'𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝘿𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙪𝙢 𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣
It will be an emotional return for Hartlepool United manager Graeme Lee who makes his return to the Suit Direct Stadium tonight.
“You just want it to be kick-off and you just want the game to be here,” said Lee.
“Seeing the atmosphere when I’ve been in previous weeks - I came to the Exeter game and I looked at the fans and how they were and I just wanted to be in the dugout. I wanted that to be me.
“That is going to be me on Wednesday night and I just can’t wait.”
𝙏𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙙𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙇𝙚𝙚
Graeme Lee admitted he faces a tough decision when picking his starting XI for the visit of Rochdale after Pools’ success in both the Papa John’s Trophy and the FA Cup last week.
“It’s going to be difficult. I’ve got a lot to think about and I’ll have to see how the lads recover,” Lee told The Mail.
“But it’s going to be like that no matter what when I’m picking teams and picking subs.
“I need to make sure I get the right balance of what’s going to be successful and who plays well with each other, who can impact and do things that others can’t do.”
𝘽𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙇𝙚𝙚 𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩
Stepping into the dugout at the Suit Direct Stadium will be a dream come true for Graeme Lee but just what was it about Lee and Michael Nelson that convinced the club’s board they were the right candidates for the job?
“We’ve known Graeme, as we’ve known Michael, a long time as a club. What was very impressive was the clarity in which they spoke when we sat down with them,” explained Pools’ non-executive director Adrian Bevington.
“They’ve got real clear ideas of how they want to develop the team, how they want the team to play and the standards they want to bring to the football club to build on what is already in place.
“It was really seamless how they presented it. Obviously they’re both on the same page in their thinking which was really important to us.
“Graeme has really earned his stripes over the last number of years at Middlesbrough. Michael has a great history around this football club as well - around 500 games between them, and we were just very impressed by everything we heard from them.
“We feel that their leadership skills are really important for what we need to take us forward.”
