Hartlepool United come from behind to beat Broeham Wood 3-1 as unbeaten run under Kevin Phillips continues

Despite falling behind with just ten seconds on the clock to Kabongo Tshimanga’s opener for Boreham Wood, Pools completely turned the game around to claim maximum points.

And if there was frustration and players dropping to their knees at Woking last weekend, there were drums, noise and a Super Kev fist-pump this time.

Joe Grey, who was almost in tears last Saturday when his wayward pass gifted Woking a late equaliser, was the man to get things moving again with a finely finished equaliser at the end of the first half.

Then, having withstood some second half pressure from the gutsy and determined Wood, Hartlepool got what the 4,002 crowd craved in the dying stages.

Nineteen-goal man Mani Dieseruvwe headed Pools in front with six minutes remaining before impressive defender Luke Waterfall wrapped up the points in the last minute.

Those goals lifted Hartlepool up to tenth, six points from the play-offs, having now lost just one of their first six league games under Phillips.

Hartlepool named Friday’s new signing Chay Cooper on the bench following his arrival from Colchester on loan and he replaced Brennan Dickenson on the bench.

Dickenson was in the starting line-up because Courtney Senior joined Otis Khan, Anthony Mancini and Courtney Duffus in the treatment room. That was the only change from the side that started at Woking.

And it didn’t take long for Dickenson, starting on the right of the three men supporting Dieseruvwe, to be involved – but only after the Wood had taken the early lead.

With the first attack of the game down the right, Cameron Coxe managed to roll the ball into the area. Tshimanga had an awful lot to do, but he was allowed to turn and then finish low and beyond Joel Dixon.

It was the worst possible start but Hartlepool should have been level four minutes later.

The long ball forward was flicked on by Dierseruvwe. It seemed ideal for Dickenson, particularly because Nathan Ashmore was hesitant to come out of his box, but his shot hit the chest of the visiting goalkeeper and Pools remained behind.

It would have been an ideal way for Dickenson to mark his first start since moving from Oldham on loan, and after that Hartlepool battled away without seriously testing Ashmore until Grey’s equaliser.

In fact, despite plenty of possession in the final third, Boreham Wood had the clearer chances. Chris Bush had struck a free-kick that was saved by Dixon, who also held Kwesi Appiah’s flick after Matt Robinson’s deflected effort went for a corner.

Boreham Wood, having gained the lead, repeatedly tried to slow the game down and frustrate the hosts and they were fortunate not to concede a penalty when Tom Parkes went down under a challenge from Coxe 24 minutes in.

That heightened the frustrations of the fans and Parkes, who was booked shortly after further complaints when he claimed to have been caught by an elbow in the box, and those centred around a number of referee Zac Kennard-Kettle’s decisions.

Hartlepool channelled their angst in the right way and levelled deep in stoppage-time at the end of the first half.

Callum Cooke, who was lively throughout the opening period, slid a pass in behind the defence for Grey to control and finish calmly beyond Ashmore.

Dixon prevented Boreham Wood from starting the second half like they did the first. He rushed off his line to thwart an effort from Angelo Balanta who had just been introduced from the bench.

Hartlepool soon improved after that and, not for the first time, had shouts for a penalty waved away when Billy Sass-Davies appeared to handle in the box when he dived in the area. Ashmore had to be alert to turn Tom Crawford’s 22-yard drive away in the same attack.

But Boreham Wood gained more control of possession after that and threatened numerous times from corners, even if Dixon wasn’t asked to make a major save until a header from Tyrone Marsh.

Yet Cooper, introduced for his debut, went darting down the other end before cutting inside his man and curling an effort just wide of the far post – in what became a frantic finish.

That sparked Hartlepool back to life as an attacking force and when David Ferguson’s cross was met by Dieseruvwe’s head at the near post, Ashmore couldn’t prevent it from crossing the line with five minutes left.

And, after Ashmore had saved from Ferguson’s free-kick, to cap the afternoon off Waterfall was left in space to slide a sweet finish to send the Pools fans home happy.