Stockport County 1-1 Hartlepool United: Pools bow out of the Football League with a respectable draw at Edgeley Park

Callum Cooke scored a brilliant equaliser to cancel out Callum Camps’ first half penalty before Ben Killip played a starring role in the second half to ensure the points were shared including denying Camps from 12-yards deep into stoppage time.

It was a result which means Stockport will do battle in the League Two play-offs as Hartlepool supporters went away with a sense of ‘what if’ following a spirited final display in the Football League as they look to bounce back from relegation as quickly as possible.

Two years is a long time but for Hartlepool it feels like an eternity since they last visited Edgeley Park on their way to promotion back in 2021.

On that occasion, Dave Challinor resided in the away dugout as Pools were faced with the mammoth task of clearing a Stockport hurdle which felt one too far for his side.

But against all the odds, in as much of a lion's den as the COVID-19 restrictions would allow, where there were no away fans, Challinor and his side pulled off a remarkable result in a show of defiance sprinkled with an element of quality.

It set up the day which is still talked about and revered in the town of Hartlepool at Bristol. Challinor’s defining moment with the club, where his legacy will always remain.

Fast forward and Challinor now found himself positioned in the home dugout in front of a sold-out Edgeley Park on the brink of a third promotion in three years as a manager.

Hartlepool were in the away dugout, Antony Sweeney was still there and engaged in a prolonged conversation with Challinor ahead of kick-off.

There were two players in Hartlepool’s starting line-up who started that day for Challinor, Nicky Featherstone and David Ferguson, with Jamie Sterry missing through illness, but little else felt the same with his work from two years ago torched as Pools prepare to return to the National League.

Killip, one of few others part of Challinor’s promotion winning squad, was back in goal for the final game with Jakub Stolarczyk on the bench.

Challinor spoke fondly of his time at Hartlepool ahead of this meeting and he did so again in the match day programme when sharing his disappointment at the club’s relegation.

Those two years remain special to him despite the success he has gone on to achieve in Greater Manchester.

But despite his affiliation for Hartlepool it was business for Challinor with the potential prize of automatic promotion in sight.

From the off Stockport looked as though they had the bit between their teeth, backed by a partisan crowd at Edgeley Park.

And they almost went in front inside six minutes straight from the training ground as a corner was played in low towards the penalty spot where Camps was on hand first time to bring a good save from Killip.

News would not be kind elsewhere for the home side, however, as Hartlepool supporters took great delight in letting fans know that Northampton had taken the lead at Tranmere.

Still, it would be irrelevant for Stockport unless they saw off Pools and they came close from another set piece when Kyle Knolye’s in-swinger was met by Fraser Horsfall at the back post only for Matt Dolan to clear away on the line.

Stockport dominated as Myles Hippolyte was allowed to advance towards the edge of the area before testing Killip again, Killip spilling into the path of Isaac Olaofe who looked destined to score, only for Killip to divert wide with an excellent stop.

The resulting corner again caused Hartlepool trouble as Stockport thought they had taken the lead when Horsfall turned in after Killip had fumbled.

Hartlepool surrounded the referee, clearing insinuating Killip had been impeded.

After a lengthy delay referee Tom Reeves went over to discuss things with his assistant before ruling the goal out.

Hartlepool would then test Ben Hinchliffe who had enjoyed a relaxing afternoon up until that point when Featherstone tried his luck from distance.

Pools were almost the architects of their own downfall when a loose pass saw Edon Pruti under pressure which gave Jack Stretton a sight of goal – Killip again on hand to save.

The Hatters did find a breakthrough before half-time, however, after Camps jinked his way into the penalty area before going down under pressure from Connor Jennings back on his old stomping ground.

Jennings is well thought of at Edgeley Park and will have done that reputation little harm in handing Camps the opportunity from 12-yards which he duly converted.

Pools had hung in and got in at the break trailing by one. Yet the home side struggled from the restart with the game, in essence, drifting away from both teams.

That was until Hartlepool played their part in crashing any potential party with Cooke’s equaliser.

The midfielder was able to pick up possession on halfway from Camps and drive forward to find Tom Crawford who exchanged with Joe Grey and Featherstone, the Pools skipper rolling to Cooke on the edge of the area who had set himself and curled in a delightful effort first time.

It was a goal which sparked the second half into life with Killip taking centre stage for Askey’s side.

First he made a stunning save to keep out Paddy Madden’s cushioned effort after he had met Chris Hussey’s knockdown from no more than 10 yards to push onto the bar.

Madden was then involved again minutes later as he threaded a clever ball into the path of Knoyle who was clear on goal only for Killip to meet him head on and spread himself well to save.

Grey dragged wide from a promising position at the other end as Hartlepool offered a threat on the counter-attack.

News from Prenton Park continued to go against Stockport as Jennings looked worryingly towards the referee in the closing stages after Akil Wright went down under his challenge. This time play was waved on before Hartlepool had a chance to win it in stoppage time.

Ferguson dug out a brilliant cross for Jack Hamilton who found Crawford unmarked in the area but his header was weak as Hinchliffe gathered.

And yet there was still time for what has been a wretched season for Hartlepool to have a sting in the tail as Stockport were awarded a dubious second penalty deep into stoppage time with Dolan adjudged to have handled.

Camps stepped up again but Killip flew to his right to produce a stunning save as Pools kept to their word to try and disrupt any potential promotion party for Stockport to leave former boss Challinor in need of more play-off magic over the coming weeks.

As for Pools, Challinor may not have been the one to hammer the final nail in Hartlepool’s coffin this season but perhaps with this draw there was a closure for both Challinor and Hartlpeool in this chapter of elongated anger, regret and suffering.

The hope is it won’t be too long before Challinor and Hartlepool meet again.

Stockport County XI: Hinchliffe, Wright, Horsfall, Lewis (Evans ‘57), Hussey, Hippolyte, Croasdale (Collar ‘83), Camps, Knoyle, Stretton (Madden ‘57), Olaofe

Subs: Jaros, Byrne, R. Johnson, C. Johnson

Hartlepool United XI: Killip, Kiernan (Grey ‘60), Dodds, Dolan, Pruti, Ferguson, Featherstone ©, Crawford, Cooke, Hamilton, Jennings

Subs: Stolarczyk, Foran, Darcy, Stephenson, Storey, Umerah

Attendance: 10,118

Referee: Tom Reeves