Hartlepool United 0 Stockport County 5 ( Football League 2) Saturday 3 December 2022

 

County sent their large following home deliriously happy today at a seriously cold Suit Direct Stadium as they went nap with a 5-star performance that saw them take all the points in a 5-0 win against struggling Hartlepool United.

Today`s was a confident showing by Dave Challinor’s boys who made their hosts look every inch the bottom club in the division.

Amongst the good performances on show for the yellow shirted blues was a stirring 90 odd minutes from Kyle Wootton whose early brace more or less decided Pool`s fate before they had raised  sweat.

Elsewhere Madden, Camps and Collar added further goals complimenting as good an away showing as one could reasonably expect to see- a result that sets us up nicely   for the challenges ahead.

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As early as the 2^nd minute we thought County had something on as Madden sent Hippolyte clear, but his shot drifted wide.

Another 2 minutes of thrust and counter thrust looked to produce a chance for Pool when Referee Ben Toner bought Sylla`s dying swan bit wholesale awarding our hosts a free kick, which quickly became a corner. Croasdale ushered this clear with his usual measured calm.

Sylla did feature again 2 minutes later but his shot did not trouble Hinchliffe and for another10 minutes it all rather went off the boil with incident and chances thin on the ground.

That took us to the 16^th minute and almost more excitement than we could handle as a foul on Hippolyte lit County`s fuse. Nothing came directly from the kick which saw the ball back with Hinchliffe but the County keeper`s action in sending the ball long opened the floodgates for County as, with defenders panicking around him Wootton coolly took charge of the situation slotting a neat finish home to give his side the lead.

That was excellent, but then so was Wright`s tackle on Sylla on 18 minutes that snuffed out an embryonic Pool reply.

Wright and Horsfall followed this within a minute with some neat work to see a threat from Cooke off.

That was good to see but so was what followed as from the Horsfall/ Wright bit County had it on the break and again, with the home defence melting away in front of him Wootton confidently doubled his and his club`s goal tally with another emphatic finish!

It was 2-0 to County and the away end was rocking.

    County were looking in lethal nick and Hippolyte only just failed to reach Wootton and set up his hat-trick as the harassed home keeper Ben Killip won this one with some quick reactions.

We were beyond 30 minutes now and Keith Curle`s side were making no headway against County`s irresistible pressing game.

That said, Horsfall and Southam-Hales had to rescue their team after a miscue by Wright set Cooke up, 8 minutes from half time.

But it was genuinely mainly County doing the attacking. Hippolyte and Rydel were behind much of County`s good work and both did good work defensively also – Hippolyte perhaps overdoing the enthusiasm at one point being booked by Mr Toner.

County`s late first half raids, neatly put together, lacked the earlier finishing qualities- Rydel`s break coming to nothing on 41 minutes after good work by Hippolyte.

More followed but with similar results with Hippolyte to the fore again stealing possession off Sylla then feeding Madden who was forced wide to end the raid.

Then just when we had settled for a 2-0 score-line at the break Hastie found himself on the end of a through ball from Tumilty and well set to embarrass a clutch of County defenders he looked to be side-lining. It was a chance…a real chance but Hastie threw it away missing Hinchliffe`s goal by a distance!

That was the last meaningful action of the first half.

It was also perhaps a timely warning with the second half in prospect. Would we heed it?

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The second half opened with Wright a fag paper`s width away from putting County`s third goal home on the end of an early free kick.

Hartlepool however seemed to be maybe taking heart from Hastie`s late sortie deep into County`s territory, taking more heart from another free kick right on the edge of the County box. It was another notional opportunity for the home side, but Ryan Johnson cleared the kick with a header and Horsfall did likewise to Missilou`s follow up.

A cloud scraping dipper from Collar won County a corner as Killip tipped the ball over the bar at the last gasp. Sylla then sorted matters for Pool heading Rydel`s incoming kick clear at the near post.

Eight minutes into the half the otherwise excellent Southam-Hales was caught out on the break by Ferguson and Cooke. It looked iffy for a moment or two and then it didn`t as Ferguson`s cross cum shot flew across goal and out of play.

County up to that last action had not been overly convincing in this half, but a break by Wootton threatened to change that as did Hippolyte`s cross from Kyle`s pass, but it went slightly behind Madden who did well to stretch for it – his shot went narrowly wide. That was a decent effort!

Another minute……..another County raid but Killip kept Collar`s drive out confidently on 54 minutes.

County were certainly upping the revs now but was it at the expense of their composure?   I wondered and watched as the excellent Hippolyte fluffed a chance close in after great work from Collar, Wootton and Madden in the build-up.

We were beyond the hour now and it was still 2-0, but not for much longer!

Again, the catalyst was a long ball from Hinchliffe that Collar added a measure of his own brand of magic too winning a corner.

Enter Rydel, and his delivery was perfect, the ball bouncing invitingly for Madden who had stolen in behind a veritable forest of bodies towards the back of the box. Madden did not hesitate dispatching a flawless header beyond Killip into the net.

It was 3-0 and there was time still for County to add to that score!

Straight from the re-start Pool surrendered possession to County and Collar was unlucky to see Killip in position to keep another shot out!

By this point Camps was on for Hippolyte and the subbing had an immediate effect as within 3 minutes County had extended their lead to 4-0 and Camps did the deed!

Johnson saw a header blocked not long after Camps had come on, but County would not go away, their attitude epitomised by Southam -Hales whose energy saw him to the by-line where his cross put Sylla in difficulties in front of goal. The situation needed Sylla`s foot through the ball but it did not happen allowing Camps to capitalise brilliantly with a late burst that saw him force the ball home in determined style.

That was fantastic but probably called for a response by Pool, but when it came Umerah sent a poor effort wide.

We were in the last 20 minutes now and County were showing no inclination to ease off.

Collar and Southam-Hales combining brilliantly to win a corner at one point. It was cleared but the move deserved better.

County were ringing the changes now- Madden and Croasdale replaced by Crankshaw and MacDonald.

The changes did not alter County`s modus operandi - the home goal just escaping unscathed after another rash of jittery attempts to clear under pressure from a Rydel free kick.

 Pool did try to reply, winning another free kick that was again handily placed but failing to make it count with time running out.

Just 5 minutes remained when Collar received the ball near the centre circle. He had Sylla for company and some bruises as well no doubt as the defender whacked him with the crudest of challenges.

You…me might have gone down and made a five courser of it as the ref had definitely seen it. But massive credit to Collar he stayed on his feet, continued on his run towards goal where the unfortunate Killip stood as if mummified as Collar whacked a fantastic shot home!

It was 5-0..and…wow what a way to get there!

There was a bit of a twitch in the Hartlepool corpse late on but Umerah could not beat Hinchliffe.

Two minutes added time with temperatures now definitely sub arctic, were a blessing bearing in mind the World Cup timing excesses.

There was no change to the score-line.

This notwithstanding we were playing the league`s bottom side, was a fine performance setting us up nicely for the Cup replay on Wednesday.

Well done County!

See you Wednesday!

 

Hartlepool United line up:-

Killip, Tumilty,Murray, Monayese, Ferguson, Featherstone, Sylla (Grey 70), Missilou, Cooke, Hastie ( Mc Donald 70), Umerah.

Subs not used: Letheren, Paterson, Odour, Ndjoli, Hamilton.

 

Stockport County line up:-

Hinchliffe , Wright ( Brown 82), Horsfall, R Johnson, Southam-Hales, Rydel, Croasdale ( Mac Donald 72), Collar, Hippolyte ( Camps 64), Madden ( Crankshaw 72), Wootton.

Subs not used; Jones, Evans, Lewis.

Attendance: 5079 ( 685)

 

Photos from hedgegrower`s phone camera, with thanks to Andrew Machin for doing the equivalent of bouncing an edition of Strictly off the moon  getting my photos back to me, my phone email having gone walk about!