Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone discusses decision to leave striker Alex Reid on the bench ahead of Tamworth trip
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone insisted Alex Reid was rested rather than dropped for Saturday's dramatic 1-1 draw with mid-table Tamworth.
Featherstone caused a stir by naming Reid, who had started all of the previous 14 National League games prior to the weekend's trip to Staffordshire, on the bench on Saturday. In his place, Luke Charman, who has spent almost all of the season out on the left flank, was tasked with leading the line.
Although Charman is more than capable of playing through the middle, the 28-year-old doesn't possess quite the same physical profile as Reid and fans were surprised to see their side begin the game without a natural number nine, especially in light of their recent struggles in front of goal.
While Charman started the game brightly enough, flashing an effort wide of the near post after peeling off the shoulder of the last defender and latching onto a long ball over the top by Cameron John, Pools soon started to miss Reid's power and presence up front and veteran goalkeeper Jas Singh hardly had a save to make in the opening period.
Reid was introduced seven minutes into the second half after skipper Tom Parkes was forced off through injury but Pools failed to get him into the game, a problem that has plagued them throughout the campaign.
Indeed, Reid's role has been a particular source of contention ever since he completed a summer move from Oldham having scored 17 goals in 32 games for fellow National League side Wealdstone during a prolific spell on loan at Grosvenor Vale last season. Having been signed to replace the talismanic Mani Dieseruvwe, who found the net 43 times in 89 matches at Victoria Park, Reid has managed a slightly underwhelming seven goals in 26 appearances so far this season.
While it's true that Reid could probably do more in terms of his own performances, it's pretty clear that Pools are failing to get the best out of him. Rather than getting the ball where he has the best chance of hurting opponents, there is a sense among fans that Reid has been generally starved of service and is frequently asked to chase lost causes into the channels or receive possession with his back to goal. Far too often this season, the 30-year-old has cut a frustrated figure up front all on his own, leading many supporters to call for Featherstone to play with two strikers in a bid to end Reid's isolation.
One of the problems facing Featherstone in that regard is the lack of genuine options up front, with Vadaine Oliver having been sidelined through injury since October and Danny Johnson without a goal in any of his last 29 games. What's more, the Pools boss appears reluctant to take too many risks when it comes to tactics and team selection, suggesting after the heavy defeat at home to relegation-threatened Aldershot late last month that his side weren't ready for a more expansive, attacking brand of football.
Whatever the case, it would be a real surprise were Reid not to be restored to the starting line up ahead of a big week for Pools that sees them travel to title-chasing York on Wednesday before entertaining strugglers Sutton on Saturday.
"Reidy was out for a long time early on in the season with a hamstring injury - a bad one," Featherstone told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"Since then, I've had to ask him to do more than he probably should be doing and we've probably just seen him tail off in terms of his performances and his energy levels in the last three or four weeks.
"With the fixture list coming up - we've got a Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday. Tuesday, Saturday run - there are a lot of games and what we don't want to do is put Reidy at risk of doing his hamstring again, he felt it in the week after the Aldershot game.
"It's not a case of being dropped, I think sometimes players get re-energised and that focus comes back when they're taken out for a game or two. It's not a case of him being dropped because of how he's played, it's just physically we need to look after Reidy."