Pressure rises on Hartlepool United head coach Lee Clark after Worthing defeat

A 3-1 home defeat against National League new boys Worthing has increased the pressure on Hartlepool United head coach Lee Clark after another disappointing week.

Clark opted to make one change to his starting eleven after the midweek defeat at Altrincham as Cam John came in for suspended captain Jack Hunter and that mean Liam Gibson taking his place at the heart of the back four alongside Reiss McNally.

Pools made a positive start to the contest and created their first chance of the game on ten minutes when Will Harris met a McNally cross and forced an impressive save out of visitors keeper Taylor Seymour. Harris then forced the Worthing stopper into a far more routine save with the midway point of the half approaching before the Rebels gradually started to find their feet in the game.

Pools keeper Nathan Fisher rushed from his line to deny Charley Kendall after he had beaten the offside trap just after the half-hour mark - but there was nothing the former Middlesbrough academy product could do to prevent Cory Adjetey-Brew from putting Worthing into the lead with ten minutes remaining in the first-half. The on-loan QPR left-back timed his run into the area to perfection and took full advantage of some hesitancy in the Pools defence by heading beyond the helpless Fisher from around ten yards.

Pools were forced into a change seconds after the opener as Gibson was replaced by Charlie Penman - and that proved to be the final meaningful action of the first-half as Pools left the pitch to boos when the half-time whistle was blown.

Just as he had in the first-half, Harris came closest to getting Pools on the scoresheet just before the hour-mark when he twisted and turned before striking the bar with a powerful effort that bounced the wrong side of the line. Worthing doubled their lead within moment of that let-off as a loose ball on the edge of the Pools area found Ricky Aguiar and his stunning volley flew beyond Fisher and sparked a chorus of boos from the home faithful.

Pools did find a route back into the game with just under quarter of an hour remaining when a powerful backpass was slipped away from visitors keeper Seymour and that allowed Harris to seize possession before tapping into the empty net. However, it was Worthing that would have the last say as substitute Jose Marquez headed home in the first of five added minutes to ensure his side claimed all three points and increased the pressure on Clark.

Hartlepool United: Fisher, Benn, John, McNally, Ilunga (Hugill), Miley, Harris, Sheron (Popov), Nolan (Thornton), Gibson (Penman), Deeming (Bondo) Subs: Smith, Darcy

Worthing: Seymour, Colbran, Moore, Ransom, Waller, Adjetey-Brew, Wadham (Packham), Aguiar, Young (Smith), Hutchinson (De-Graft), Kendall (Marquez) Subs: Cook, Boddy, Nathaniel-George

Your next Hartlepool United read: Lee Clark makes one change as Hartlepool United prepare for Worthing test