Hartlepool vs. Northampton, Match Analysis: Hartlepool Score 4 to Make it to the Next Round
Hartlepool United scored 4 goals inside 10 minutes to beat Northampton Town to make it to the next round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
Hartlepool had been constantly disappointed with their attacks, trying for over more than an hour; Brown coming the closest with a header which was saved by the underside of the woodwork.
Evan Horwood opened the scoring for Hartlepool, his hometown club, and after that, Hartlepool were on fire. The ten minute spell after Horwood’s goal saw the revitalized Hartlepool side score 3 more past their helpless opponents.
Tony Sweeney was the next to score: he got at the end of Horwood’s brilliant free kick and the ball ended at the back of the net, making it 2-0 to Hartlepool.
Andy Monkhouse was at the right place at the right time as the ball just seemed to present itself to him right inside the penalty box; all the player had to do was to make sure it ended in the opponents’ net. He didn’t miss.
Denis Behan, the super substitute, who had just returned from injury, made it 4-0 for his side. His impact was felt minutes after he made a comeback to his first game of the new season.
Mick Wadsworth made the shock decision of naming an unchanged side for the sixth game in a row, despite previous poor results. He had been expected to rest important players like Adam Boyd, James Brown and Paul Murray.
Northampton, on the other hand, made four changes, including starting first choice goalkeeper, Chris Dunn. The performance without the essential players showed, as Northampton stumbled and despite putting up a good fight lost 4-0 in an important cup tie, where they had expected to do well following their poor form in the League.
James Brown’s constant attacks drew some important saves from Dunn, the first one coming after only 13 seconds. Brown was some 25 yards out with too much open space; the player took his chance and shot at goal. However, Dunn’s instincts saved him as he tipped it over the bar at the last minute.
Dunn made some more saves later on in the game, another important one coming in at the 14th minute when Joe Gamble’s free kick seemed to be headed towards the far corner after missing the wall. The Northampton keeper managed to push it away last minute once again.
There was controversy towards the half hour mark, as there was a penalty claim by Boyd right after Dunn made another essential save to keep a clean sheet. The penalty was not given and neither was the goal by Northampton that came in the 34th minute.
Abdul Osman headed the ball from Thornton’s corner in the net, only for the referee to rule the goal out. There was clear evidence of Osman pushing Gary Liddle to get to the ball. If given, the early goal could have given Northampton the lead and the match may have ended differently.
Liddle made some efforts at the start of the second half, only to have his header clear of the line by Harris after the Hartlepool defender dealt with Gamble’s left wing corner at the far post.
The breakthrough finally came in the 66th minute as Boyd broke the deadlock. Three minutes later, Horwood made it 2-0 for his side with a free kick from 25 yards out. The third goal came at the 71st minute when Monkhouse took advantage of Northampton’s defensive errors and drilled the ball in the bottom corner. They had to wait four more minutes for their fourth goal when Denis Behan came on.
Squad:
Hartlepool: Flinders, Haslam, Collins, Liddle, Horwood, Murray (Humphreys 76), Sweeney, Gamble, Monkhouse, Brown (Behan 71), Boyd (Yantorno 67). Subs not used: McSweeney, Fredriksen.
Northampton: Dunn, Rodgers, Hall (Beckwith 81), Thornton (McKay 67), Osman, Guinan, Holt, Wedderburn, Herbert (Davis 60), Jacobs, Harris. Subs not used: Jansson, Beckwith. Booked: Jacobs
Tags: