Keith Curle’s foreshadowing and wild celebrations - moments missed from Hartlepool United’s win over Doncaster Rovers

Josh Umerah’s first-half strike was cancelled out by a Bobby Faulkner equaliser midway through the second-half.

For the die-hard Pools fans, it seemed like the inevitable was coming and that despite all the positives from a good, front-foot display, that first league win of the season would elude them once again.

However, up-stepped Wes McDonald to jink his way into the box and fire home a deserved winner for the home side - sparking wild scenes inside the stadium.

Amid the jubilation, anyone in attendance could be forgiven for having a few details from the clash slip their memory so here, we take a look at some of the moments you may have missed from Hartlepool United’s victory over Doncaster Rovers:

Curle’s pre-match foreshadowing

Anybody that had a quick glance at the match day programme would have noted that Pools’ interim boss may have eerily predicted the outcome of Tuesday night’s game.

Writing about leaving Josh Umerah on the bench for the clash with Mansfield Town, Curle’s notes read: ‘I’ve got to be brave in making selections that can affect the game and that includes introducing game-changers later on.

‘We understand the frustration of players that don’t play, but they’re part of the plans and I’ll stay at the ground to make sure everyone knows that.’

After a strong start by Pools against Rovers, they lost a little bit of momentum during the second period as Gary McSheffrey rang the changes.

However, as predicted by Curle, it was one of his ‘game changers’ in the form of McDonald’s third goal of the season, that ultimately secured all three points for his side.

Unwanted records gone

Ahead of the game, Pools had gone 20 matches without a league win, including 13 games in a row at home.

You have to go back to March 18 and their victory away at Newport County for their last league win and even further, to a 1-0 against Tranmere Rovers on February 15, for their last victory in-front of their own fans.

In that time, Pools have had three managers in the dugout, Erling Haaland has debuted in the Premier League, scored 14 goals, including three hat-tricks and a new monarch has come to the throne.

It was a long, long wait for Pools supporters but they now have that first three points on the board, the trick for Curle and co now will be to repeat this and build momentum that has been lacking for a long while.

Molyneux return

There were two familiar faces in the Doncaster Rovers line-up with Jonathan Mitchell and Luke Molyneux both lining up against their former side.

And whilst Mitchell got the usual ‘opposition goalkeeper in-front of home fans’ reception, the majority of boos were saved for Molyneux upon his return to the Suit Direct Stadium.

In fairness to the winger, he was probably Doncaster’s most dangerous player on the night and saw a wicked strike smash the post just before half-time - one that likely would have breached the defences of Ben Killip had it been just inches to the right.

Molyneux continued to be the pantomime villain of the piece throughout but couldn’t help his side hold onto a point - much to the delight of the Pools faithful.

Oduor show

There were a host of Pools players that could have been awarded ‘Man of the Match’ on Tuesday night with Mohamad Sylla, Rollin Menayese, Josh Umerah and Tom Crawford all putting in very good performances.

However, it was Clarke Odour’s performance, on his first start for the club, that particularly caught the eye on a rain-soaked night in Hartlepool.

Oduor played high on the right and posed a constant threat to the Rovers back-line in a display that pleased his manager.

On Oduor, Curle told the Mail: “He did well. I thought when we had dominance in the game he picked up good areas.

“I think [once] he picked the wrong option when he got past the lad and cut inside and put it to the goalkeeper’s right hand side but he probably got a little excited and had a snapshot at goal.

“But no, he had a good understanding of the position, good ball mastery, could go past people.

“Clarke will probably be a little critical of himself when he calculates end product with the balls he had. But he’s a young player that is desperate to do well.”

Wild celebrations

After McDonald slammed home the winner, the 25-year-old embarked on a lap of the pitch in celebration with his teammates following his lead.

The whole stadium erupted, with relief and joy in equal measure, as Pools closed in on their first league win of the season.

When the referee, following five minutes of added time that elicited huge groans from the crowd, blew the whistle to signal it was game over - the noise picked up once again as Pools rightly celebrated a long overdue win.

And it wasn’t just the players soaking in the moment as Curle also strode over to the North West Corner to show his delight - engaging in a mini ‘Jurgen Klopp style’ fist pump and celebration with supporters.

Post-match, Curle revealed that he was relatively calm in the moments following McDonald’s winner, sensing it was a golden opportunity for the side to register that elusive win.

Curle said: “I like winning games. I’m in this profession to win games and improve players, improve teams, gain points and when you see the hard work coming to fruition you’re like ‘excellent’ but then, straight away I was thinking ‘stop the clock ref’.”

Referee Andy Haines eventually did just that as Pools climbed out of the League Two relegation zone.