Simon Grayson slams Hartlepool United's underwhelming showing in Brackley Town stalemate as worst performance of his tenure
Hartlepool United manager Simon Grayson blasted Saturday's frustrating goalless draw with Brackley Town as his side's worst performance since he took charge.
Having started the season so well, Pools are now without a win in their last five games and slipped out of the play-off places after failing to score for the third time in four games. Indeed, a lack of goals - and, at times, an almost total absence of creative spark - is beginning to become a bit of a concern at Victoria Park. Pools have scored just nine goals in their first nine National League matches and have drawn a blank four times already this term. It hasn't been for the want of trying - Pools signed veteran frontman Vadaine Oliver in the week in a bid to bolster their attacking options and finished the game with the new recruit, Alex Reid and Danny Johnson all on the pitch - but Simon Grayson's side rarely looked like scoring on another frustrating afternoon.
For Pools, there was plenty of huff and puff but not a lot of end product as they drew for the fifth time in nine games. Manager Simon Grayson made one, slightly surprising, change to his side as Jamie Miley, one of the few players in the Pools squad capable of unlocking a defence with a forward pass, was dropped to the bench. That did mean that Pools were able to welcome back Jermaine Francis, who missed last Saturday's defeat at Forest Green with a knee issue, but even the lively Grenadian international was unable to provide much of a spark as the home side managed just one shot on target all game. Having lost Mani Dieseruvwe, who scored 43 goals in 89 games during a prolific spell in the North East, over the summer, Pools were always going to be hard-pressed to replace their talismanic top-scorer. Yet in Alex Reid, who has scored three goals in his first nine outings at Victoria Park, and Danny Johnson, yet to open his account, Pools looked to have signed two proven marksmen. While it's true that neither man has really managed to get going just yet, the Pools strike force have been generally starved of service. After both Joe Grey and the admittedly injury prone Anthony Mancini followed Dieseruvwe to the exit this summer, Pools appear to have lost some of their creative spark and the strikers have been generally forced to feed off scraps.
That said, it isn't all bad and Pools, who dropped out of the top seven after York came from two goals down to beat Braintree late on, are still just a point outside the play-off places. The back line continues to impress and Pools kept a remarkable sixth clean sheet in nine games; indeed, Simon Grayson's side have only conceded three goals all season. Yet that defensive solidity is unlikely to mean much unless Pools can rediscover their goalscoring touch.
In the end, it was probably a better point for Brackley, who have adapted well to life in the fifth division having been crowned National League North champions last term, than it was for Pools. Even so, the Saints might well feel a little unfortunate not to have won the game and came closest when Matt Lowe struck the woodwork from close range seven minutes into the second half. The lively Morgan Roberts had a goal ruled out for offside deep into added time and, in the end, the referee's final whistle came as something of a relief to the lacklustre home side.
"Look, it's a draw - we were lucky to get a draw, to be fair," Grayson told the official Pools club website.
"That was the poorest performance we've had since I've been at the club - and that includes pre-season games. We were just so flat, for whatever reason. I thought we had a good week in training, but when you look at the game we were poor in possession, we weren't crisp with our passing and we didn't create enough chances, we didn't do what we're capable of doing. Out of possession, we didn't have the energy to close people down and win second balls, which is what we've been quite good at all season. To go from Forest Green last week, where we played really well with the ball and out of possession, to that was something that I didn't see coming. We'll put it down to a really bad day at the office."