Hartlepool United attacker Luke Charman admits Pools "not quite clicking at the minute" following Aldershot Town defeat
Hartlepool United attacker Luke Charman admitted Pools are "not quite clicking at the minute" after their disappointing 1-0 defeat at Aldershot Town on Saturday.
Pools failed to score for the fourth time in five games as their winless run extended to six matches, with frustration beginning to grow among some fans. Having started the season so well, picking up 10 points from the first 12 available, Pools have managed just four points from their last six games, a run that's seen them slide out of the play-off places. Indeed, Pools are just one point better off than they were at this stage last season under Darren Sarll, with a lack of goals once again proving a major issue.
Having lost talismanic top scorer Mani Dieseruvwe, who bagged 43 goals in 89 games during a prolific spell at Victoria Park, to Rochdale over the summer, Pools moved to sign Alex Reid, who scored 17 times in 32 National League matches for a struggling Wealdstone side last term, and Danny Johnson. The initial signs were good - Johnson scored four goals in pre-season, while Reid found the net three times in his first four competitive appearances - but goals have started to dry up since then and Pools are among the division's lowest scorers. While Simon Grayson's side have a rock solid defensive record having kept an impressive six clean sheets in their opening 10 matches, only bottom side Truro and fourth-bottom Boston have scored fewer goals than them so far this season. As concerning as their lack of goals is their lack of creativity, with major question marks over whether Pools have done enough to replace the likes of Joe Grey, who left to join York over the summer, Reyes Cleary and Anthony Mancini. Jermaine Francis, one of the few members of the current Pools squad capable of unlocking opposition defences, trudged off late on in Hampshire and there are fears he could be set for a spell on the sidelines.
Pools fans must have been hoping that Saturday's long trip to an Aldershot side who are the National League's leading scorers - the Shots have scored 23 goals this term, 14 more than Pools - but also have the division's third leakiest defence would be the perfect chance to end their recent goal drought. After going behind when Cameron Hargreaves' 20th minute strike deflected off the boot of Nathan Sheron and over goalkeeper Harvey Cartwright, Pools pressed forward and forced a number of fine saves from Marcus Dewhurst, who picked up the man of the match award. While Pools might have created more in the way of chances than they had done in recent weeks and their performance was a significant improvement compared to their lacklustre effort against Brackley at Victoria Park, the fact is that they were unable to breach an Aldershot back line who have shipped goals left, right and centre so far this season. There are growing concerns that Pools' impressive defensive record will count for nothing unless Grayson can get his out of sorts front line firing again - and soon.
If there was one positive from the defeat at the Recreation Ground, then it was the spirited showing of attacker Luke Charman. The 27-year-old endured a challenging first season at Victoria Park on and off the pitch, with his best friend and fellow footballer Michael Newberry dying suddenly on December 30. Having found himself in and out of the side last term - and sometimes shoehorned in at wing-back towards the end of the campaign - Charman was on the fringes of the squad in the opening weeks of the new season. However, after impressing from the bench against Southend and Boreham Wood, the versatile attacker was handed his first start ahead of the visit of Boston, scoring his first goal of the season with a sumptuous effort from the edge of the box. Since then, Charman has been one of the shining lights for Pools and he impressed again in Hampshire, doing all he could to haul his team back into the game with a series of determined and powerful forward runs. While the general consensus is that the attacker still needs to provide more in the way of goals - indeed, he's scored just five times in 50 appearances at Victoria Park - his level of performance of late has been a real boon to Pools and there are hopes he could be the man to turn his side's faltering form around ahead of Tuesday's trip to rivals Gateshead.
"We're massively, massively disappointed," Charman told the official Pools club website following Saturday's defeat to Aldershot.
"As much as we played better today than we did last weekend, it's still not good enough. As a team, completely, we're not quite clicking at the minute. We've created a lot of chances today and their keeper's got man of the match, but if we put one past him then he doesn't get man of the match and it's not the same story again. It's disappointing, really, really disappointing. We're gutted for the fans, it's a long, long way down here and they expect more of us, as they should. We're not best pleased."
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