Walsall defeat does not derail Hartlepool United's momentum with Graeme Lee's side very much on the up

Saturday’s trip to Walsall’s Banks’s Stadium was Pools’ 15th game in eight weeks of 2022 with Graeme Lee’s side having racked up just under 3,500-miles in away trips in that time.

No matter what level you are competing at, that is tough going.

Throw in the exhaustive nature that is the January transfer window, as the club endeavoured to process the ins and outs required, as well as dealing with the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s been quite the start to the New Year for Pools.

But to their credit, they have been able to thrive under these gruelling circumstances.

While Lee was busy adding seven new additions to his squad, Pools have been able to steady themselves and find a run of form that is sure to retain their Football League status come the end of the season.

Of those 15 games, in all competitions, Pools have lost just three, with one of those coming against Premier League side Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.

You have to take your hat off to Lee and his staff, and the players, for being able to deliver such a run under such demanding circumstances.

And it is also why there is a little bit of perspective needed following Saturday’s defeat at Walsall.

Yes, it was a disappointing loss, aren’t they all? And yes, there were a collection of players who had an ‘off day,’ but I think it’s reasonable to forgive one bad performance and result over the course of the last six or seven weeks given what the squad have been able to produce.

While in that time there have been elements of performances which have perhaps been below par, Pools have managed to churn out results. Yet on the flipside there have also been elements of performances which have exceeded expectations but might not have yielded the desired results - Bristol Rovers I’m looking at you.

But in that time there has been something arguably even greater than some of the results and performances on the field, and that is the unity we are now seeing throughout the football club and around the Suit Direct Stadium.

After such testing times over the last few years where Pools have, at times, been on the end of ignominious lows, there is now a harmony with one another on the pitch, in the stands and in the boardroom and that is translating onto the pitch.

Next week Pools will contest a semi-final for the chance to play at Wembley for the first time in their history.

The Suit Direct Stadium will be at capacity for the visit of League One leaders Rotherham United and when you think of the hardship of recent years, even last season when supporters were forced to watch from their homes as stadia up and down the country played host to its soulless football, you can’t help but buy into the shift in momentum around the club.

And when these moments come, they need holding onto.

Football has a habit of being able to pull the rug out from under your feet so quickly that the highs of the last few weeks could quickly be forgotten.

But Lee himself was right in his assessment of Saturday’s reverse at Walsall. While there was anger and frustration at the performance on the day, ultimately they were just three of five dropped points in the last six games for Pools - a run which sees them joint-second in the League Two form table.

Of course, within that run, as Pools have dramatically come from behind to secure three points on occasion, optimism and hope has grown - perhaps too much so.

Although Pools are within six points of the play-off places in League Two it could be considered a stretch for them to make a late charge to be involved within the promotion bracket and yet you never quite know.

But while hopes and expectations can run away at one end of the spectrum, it’s important not to let them run away at the other as players on the pitch, as staff in the dugout or supporters in the stands.

It’s never nice to lose a game of football, but at the moment that is all the defeat at Walsall is, one game of football.

The reaction will be important, both on the training ground and in Saturday’s trip to face Harrogate Town.

There will be a keen desire to see a return to some of the form we have seen throughout February and that steely willingness we have seen to avoid defeat in recent weeks.

Pools, of course, have fond memories of the reverse meeting with Harrogate where they produced a stunning turnaround at the Suit Direct Stadium to come from 2-0 down at half-time and claim all three points by scoring three goals in seven second half minutes.

Saturday’s trip to the Envirovent Stadium sparks the beginning of another physically demanding run of games with Pools to play another seven games this month owing to previously postponed fixtures and their cup success.

But as we have seen, these runs can generate such good momentum within the entire football club.

There’s no doubting there will be more bumps in the road between now and the end of the season for Pools as they continue their adventure back in the Football League, but there can also be no doubting that it is very much a good time to be a supporter of Hartlepool United Football Club.

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