Hartlepool United 2-1 Swindon Town: Pools stage dramatic late comeback to boost relegation hopes

This team does not seem to know when it’s beaten under new manager John Askey as they scored in the 88th and 94th minutes to upstage Swindon and hand Askey a first win in charge.

Pools were not at their best here, given their recent solid levels under Askey, and were behind for almost the entirety of the game after Rushian Hepburn-Murphy’s fourth minute opener.

But Hartlepool kept on going and going and found another late goal through Connor Jennings as he levelled things in the 88th minute before eight minutes of added time allowed Askey’s side to go for a much-needed win – with Crawley Town losing elsewhere.

And win is what they did as in the fourth minute of added time, substitute Oliver Finney picked the perfect moment to open his Hartlepool account when curling in from distance to send the Suit Direct Stadium wild as Pools were able to then hold on and see the game through to move within two points of Crawley.

Askey was left a little in limbo in terms of his team selection as he waited for news on Euan Murray’s fitness after the defender limped out of the draw with Leyton Orient a week ago with a dead leg.

Murray did not train until the eve of the meeting with Swindon but was deemed fit enough by Askey and his staff to start against the Robins as Hartlepool named the same starting line-up for a third straight game.

Supporters will have been pleased to see midfielder Tom Crawford back in the match day squad as he claimed a spot on the bench in place of the injured Matt Dolan - Crawford lacing up on a match day for the first time since October’s 2-1 defeat against Swindon having been subjected to surgery for an ankle injury over the winter.

Askey stopped short of calling this meeting a must win for his side publicly, but you get the feeling, internally, this fixture was being circled on the board as a real opportunity to claim a first win as manager at the Suit Direct Stadium against a stuttering Swindon.

The Robins’ play-off charge has hit the buffers in recent weeks as they arrived without a win in five under Jody Morris.

But one thing Swindon did have in their favour was their record in this particular part of the North East with Hartlepool having not beaten the Wiltshire side at home since messrs Porter, Butler and Humphrey’s sealed a 3-0 success one day shy of 18 years ago back in 2005.

That was then, and this was now, and Hartlepool’s need for points was at a premium.

But their task was an uphill one from inside the first five minutes when falling behind to Hepburn-Murphy’s fine strike.

The former Aston Villa man showed a clean pair of heels to Murray when dropping the shoulder to create space some 25-yards out before arrowing his strike low into the bottom corner to beat the outstretched Jakub Stolarczyk.

The early setback seemed to disrupt Hartlepool’s rhythm as Swindon pounced looking to add a quickfire second - Jonny Williams poking just wide of the near post from George McEachran’s corner.

Saidou Khan got goal-side of the Hartlepool defence following good link-up from Remeao Hutton and Tyrese Shade before flashing across the face of goal with Stolarczyk likely beaten should a green shirt have arrived at the back post.

Hartlepool were rattled - the most of which we have seen under Askey before Jennings was able to hand them something of a reprieve when winning a corner from Joe Tomlinson only for Dan Dodds to eventually head wide.

Swindon were still very much the aggressors in proceedings and had done their job in taking the sting out of what was a vibrant home support - the front three of Charlie Austin, Hepburn-Murphy and Shade causing Pools a number of problems, with Williams also finding plenty of space across the lines in a No.10 role.

But Pools almost had a way back in the game when Jennings met a rare Hartlepool free kick from Callum Cooke on the right only to be denied by the bar - Pools, at this point, maybe considering resizing their goals having twice been denied by the woodwork last time out here against Leyton Orient.

Tomlinson got the better of Dan Kemp and Mohamad Sylla a little too easily before testing Stolarczyk from distance before Dodds was on hand to make a key interception when denying Hepburn-Murphy’s fierce strike from Austin’s clever chest down.

Pools did start to creep into things before the interval with Jennings and Cooke key in most of their positive play in the first half before Tomlinson was presented with another opportunity when a cross from the right fell kindly for him before snatching at the chance with the ball drifting harmlessly wide.

Stolarczyk was called into action early in the second half when Edon Pruti gave possession away cheaply which allowed Swindon to break and find Hepburn-Murphy once more but the Leicester City man got down to hold.

Hartlepool won a corner which almost resulted in conceding as David Ferguson allowed Hepburn-Murphy to pinch the ball away from him on halfway and he then led the foot race clear on goal only for Jamie Sterry to show an excellent turn of pace to bail his team-mate out.

And with Pools still struggling to gain a foothold in the gain, Stolarczyk came up big with a stunning instinctive save to deny Tom Brewitt’s header from around eight-yards from Tomlinson’s fizzed free kick.

Hartlepool did then start to put Swindon under some pressure as they began to commit more bodies forward - with Middlesbrough loanee Sol Brynn twice called into action for the Robins.

Cooke was able to find Sterry on the right and he beat Brewitt well inside the area before hammering at the near post - Brynn pushing wide.

From the resulting corner Pruti met Kemp’s cross at the back post and looked to have equalised but for Brynn, again.

Jennings then headed wide another Kemp corner before Swindon started to find space on the break as Khan dragged wide from inside the area.

Pools were then spared their blushes by the linesman’s flag as Austin was allowed to head in, unchallenged, from a simple floated ball to the edge of the area ahead of Stolarczyk before the flag was raised.

And with time running out, Swindon then missed a golden chance to win it through Hutton who was found in space on the right by Shade before seeing his strike at goal go wide of the far post.

But it doesn’t seem to matter how far the clock ticks around for Hartlepool at the moment as they, again, found a breakthrough.

Pruti was able to recycle possession by finding Sylla who delayed a perfectly weighted ball into the path of Wes McDonald who was able to pick out Jennings with the striker making no mistake from inside the box at the first time of asking.

And with eight minutes of added time, Pools sensed a winner and they got it with Finney’s wonderful strike.

The midfielder wrestled the ball away from his own team-mate on halfway and was allowed to go and go and go before finding the corner to cap a remarkable afternoon at the Suit Direct Stadium.

Hartlepool United XI: Stolarczyk, Sterry, Dodds, Murray (McDonald ‘61), Pruti, Ferguson ©, Sylla, Cooke (Finney ‘85), Kemp (Crawford ‘85), Jennings, Umerah (Hamilton ‘61)

Subs: Killip, Foran, Featherstone, Crawford, Finney, McDonald, Hamilton

Swindon Town XI: Brynn, Hutton, McEachran, Tomlinson, Williams (Kadji ‘74), Austin © (Adeloye ‘80), Brewitt, Hepburn-Murphy, Blake-Tracy, Khan, Shade

Subs: Copland, Clayton, Adeloye, Jephcott, Cain, Kadji, Lavinier

Referee: Carl Boyeson

Attendance: 4,815 (433 Swindon)