Hartlepool United 3-1 Maidenhead United: Confident Pools cruise to impressive home win with Doncaster Rovers loanee on target

John Askey’s side earned a deserved win on home soil to back up their dramatic success over Gateshead at the weekend to well and truly get their National League campaign underway.

Anthony Mancini, Charlie Seaman and David Ferguson were all on target as Hartlepool dominated the Magpies who grabbed a late consolation through Casey Petit.

It was the first time Hartlepool have secured back-to-back league wins at the Suit Direct Stadium since February 2022 and gives Askey’s side a maximum haul of points from their first two home games of the season on a night where Pools really showed their potential ability at this level.

Askey made just one enforced change from the weekend win over Gateshead with Josh Umerah, missing out through suspension, replaced by Chris Wreh, who was making his home debut for Pools following a summer switch from Southend United.

Wreh started in Hartlepool’s opening day defeat at Barnet before being left out in favour of two-goal hero Emmanuel Dieseruvwe against Gateshead, but Umerah’s ban gave the forward the opportunity of a quick return to the starting line-up.

And it was a first half which was, ultimately, centred around Wreh and two missed opportunities to give Hartlepool the lead.

A low key opening quarter-of-an-hour saw Pools enjoy plenty of the possession, without really testing Craig Ross in the Magpies goal, before Wreh’s first opportunity arrived midway through the half.

Tom Crawford did brilliantly to recycle a corner on the left and turn away from Shawn McCoulky and dribble his way into the area on the byline before flicking a clever ball into the path of Wreh with the outside of his boot.

Wreh did everything right with his first touch and in opening his body up as he shaped an effort towards the far corner.

But with Ross rooted in Maidenhead’s goal, Wreh’s curling effort went just wide of the angle of post and bar as the chance went begging.

The chance did see an increase in the intensity from Hartlepool, however, as Askey’s midfield trio of Callum Cooke, Mancini and Crawford began to dominate.

Mancini’s silky footwork saw him, on a couple of occasions, glide away from his markers with the Frenchman testing Ross low down to his right on the back of a nice exchange from Wreh and Cooke in the build-up.

Jayden Mitchell-Lawson gave Pools a little reminder of the threat Maidenhead could pose when he found a little bit of space on the right to whip a teasing ball in towards the back post before Reece Smith tested Joel Dixon from distance.

Hartlepool continued to probe towards the end of the half and should have been rewarded midway through the additional six minutes of added time.

Dan Dodds and Seaman linked well on the right-hand side with Dodds then putting in a, seemingly, perfect cross toward the front post where Wreh was unmarked, but the forward was unable to get his head on it and, instead, was left with his head in his hands.

Pools weren’t deterred by that missed opportunity at the end of the first half, however, as they immediately came close to the opening goal within a minute of the restart when Mancini slid an excellent ball into the path of Ferguson who had stayed onside beyond Dieseruvwe on the left to test Ross at his near post.

The goalkeeper saved well with the rebound landing back at the feet of Ferguson but the Hartlepool skipper dragged his second attempt wide of the near post.

Still, it was the midfield trio of Hartlepool who were dictating things as Cooke picked up the ball inside his own half and drove towards the edge of the area, evading a number of challenges before being brought down – the midfielder picked himself up to curl narrowly over the bar from the resulting free kick.

Maidenhead, perhaps, then enjoyed their most productive period in the game when Charlee Adams’ strike deflected just wide of Dixon’s post – Dixon worried enough to scramble towards his right.

Crawford was on hand with a big defensive header from the resulting corner as Hartlepool looked to establish their dominance once more.

Dieseruvwe had the ball in the back of the net for a second time of the evening – the first saw him shown a yellow card by referee James Westgate for failing to adhere to a whistle for offside – when turning in from a lovely through ball by Alex Lacey.

But Askey’s side didn’t have to wait much longer for the breakthrough they deserved as Mancini converted just before the hour.

Dodds brought the ball out from defence and played a smart pass into Cooke who was able to drive into the Maidenhead half and find Ferguson on the overlap. The Pools skipper slid the ball into Dieseruvwe’s path in the area with Saturday’s hero looking to turn provider this time when teeing up Wreh who wriggled free of two defenders to see his effort at goal deflect into the path of the grateful Mancini who had the simple task of powering into an empty net.

It was a goal both Hartlepool and Mancini had deserved and they wasted little time asserting their authority on the game when doubling that lead minutes later.

Seaman started the move when beating his man on the wing before exchanging passes and was able to cut inside from the right and drive towards goal.

The Doncaster Rovers loanee was allowed to go on and on until he unleashed a fierce strike from the edge of the area which flew into the top corner giving Ross no chance.

Seaman almost added a third when meeting Mancini’s clever back heel to bring out a fine save from Ross as Hartlepool really went for the jugular.

Pools continued to press forward and found themselves in a three-against-one scenario when Crawford was able to break clear in midfield.

Crawford went left to Wreh, with Cooke free on the right, but the forward’s frustrating personal night continued as he got the final pass all wrong, much to the disappointment of Cooke.

Mancini’s low ball into the area almost saw Sam Beckwith divert into his own net before Pools saw a third goal of the evening chalked off for offside – this time Lacey the culprit.

The home side weren’t finished for the evening though as captain Ferguson got in on the act with five minutes remaining when following up Dieseruvwe’s effort which had come back off the bar after good work by Dodds.

Askey will have been left a little frustrated, however, as the gloss was ever so slightly taken off the evening when substitute Petit latched onto Kevin Lokko’s lofted ball to beat Dixon with almost the final kick of the game to deny Askey a first clean sheet.

Hartlepool United XI: Dixon, Seaman, Dodds, Onariase, Lacey, Ferguson ©, Crawford, Cooke, Mancini (Hastie ‘88), Wreh (Grey ‘88), Dieseruvwe

Subs: Jameson, Burton, Paterson

Maidenhead United XI: Ross, Beckwith, Havilland, Lokko, Nathaniel-George, McCoulsky, Ferdinand, Mitchell-Lawson (Parsons ‘64), Smith (Petit ‘64), Clerima, Adams (Keetch ‘79)

Subs: Ewekw, Kinsella

Referee: James Westgate

Attendance: 4,004 (23 Maidenhead)