Match report: Notts County 0-1 Hartlepool United – third straight league win takes Pools second

Luke Armstrong's 19th minute strike proved to be enough to take Pools up to second in the table as they hung on for a big three points against The Magpies.

Notts were reduced to 10-men late on as Ben Turner saw red – the fifth red card Pools have seen in four games.

After winning two on the bounce with an unchanged squad, Challinor was forced into two changes to the Hartlepool side at Meadow Lane given the 48-hour turnaround.

David Ferguson was forced off against Halifax on Saturday with a suspected bruised shin and was unable to recover in time for Monday’s match with Joe Bunney coming into the side in his place.

Midfielder Mark Shelton completed the game against The Shaymen with a broken hand and was left out of the side for the trip to Meadow Lane. Former Magpies midfielder Tom Crawford came back into the side in Shelton’s place.

The opening exchanges of the game saw little to choose between the sides. Pools were looking to hurt The Magpies from out wide with a few dangerous crosses into the box.

And it took just 19-minutes for one of them to come off as some tenacious work from Rhys Oates saw him put a low cross in from the byline which was turned into a virtually empty net by Armstrong for his fifth goal in five league games.

Gavan Holohan then missed a great chance to double Pools’ lead as he acrobatically volleyed Nicky Featherstone’s free-kick delivery over the County bar from the edge of the six yard box. Good technique, just too much on it from the Irishman.

As half-time approached, Notts County remained very much in the game and pushed for an equaliser with Jake Reeves curling over from 20-yards in first half stoppage time as Pools led at the break.

But The Magpies came out fighting for the start of the second half. Rhys Oates squandered a great chance to make it 2-0 soon after the restart after the hosts gave possession away cheaply but after that they started to pile the pressure on Pools.

Walker struck the post at the other end and Michael Doyle fired over on the follow up. Richard Brindley then fired into the side netting moments later as Notts had created more chances in the opening nine minutes of the second half than they did in the opening 45.

It was backs to the wall for Pools as they tried to defend their 1-0 lead as Notts County continued to push for an equaliser.

But for the fourth game running, Pools’ would not finish against 11 opposition players as Turner was shown a straight red card for a foul on substitute Mason Bloomfield.

Despite their disadvantage, the hosts kept pushing and thought they’d equalised in the 90th-minute as Jimmy Knowles found the net brilliantly only for the offside flag to deny him.

And after six minutes of stoppage time, Pools were able to hang on for a third straight league win. They’ll end 2020 sitting second in the National League.

Pools XI (3-5-2): Killip; Bunney, Johnson, Odusina, Magloire, Sterry; Featherstone, Crawford, Holohan (Grey 90+1); Oates (Donaldson 61), Armstrong (Bloomfield 78)

Pools subs: Donaldson, Grey, Bloomfield, Molyneux, Williams

Pools bookings: Oates (17), Magloire (35)

Notts County XI (4-2-3-1): Slocombe, Brindley, Reeves, Turner, Doyle, Wooton, Boldewijn, Rawlinson, Kelly-Evans, Rodrigues (Knowles 75), Walker (Sam 66)

Notts County subs: O’Brien, Knowles, Sam, Chicksen, Lacey

Notts County bookings: none

Notts County sendings off: Turner (81)

Referee: Simon Mather

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