The summer and season ahead for Hartlepool United

Rochdale AFC vs Hartepool United

Hartlepool players warming up at Rochdale

So, onto this season. Well, it didn’t start very well. I traveled to Rochdale to watch our opening game in League Two and it wasn’t the best. Actually, it was a nightmare. The formation and starting XI raised eyebrows in Spotland Stadium after Cooper opted to start without a striker on his full-time managerial debut.

He started with winger Andy Monkhouse up front, a decision that didn’t impress many of the 603 Pools fans who made the journey to Rochdale. It all went downhill from there. Poor defensive work from Sam Collins and Christian Burgess led to Rochdale striker Scott Hogan skipping past both of them and slotting past Scott Flinders in the opening 15 minutes of the game. Then, Pools created many chances but as per usual, couldn’t find the net. The score was 1-0 at half-time but we were still optimistic that we could turn the game around.

Then the second half started, and nothing changed. Rochdale passed the ball around the beautiful surface at Spotland like Barcelona do at Camp Nou. It must have been brilliant to watch from a Rochdale fan’s point of view. Rochdale worked the ball into the box and Christian Burgess fouled Rochdale’s Matty Lund in the area, allowing George Donnelly to convert from the penalty spot for 2-0.

Pools fans were disappointed, but it didn’t end there. Pools then brought on striker Luke James for Brad Walker, a substitution that raised eyebrows as there were players who deserved to go off before Brad Walker, such as Jon Franks and Andy Monkhouse. Pools looked a weaker side from the first half and the performance dipped, showing signs of last season’s bad run. Our defence was nothing but woeful.

Star defender Peter Hartley was out of position, Sam Collins lacked quality and Christian Burgess lacked experience and it showed when Ian Henderson latched onto a through ball and stroked the ball passed Scott Flinders. It was a nightmare. I’d never felt more angry or disappointed in my life at a single football game. But seeing as it is early days in the season, my overall optimism remained.

Nottingham Forest vs Hartepool United

Then came the League Cup, or as it’s officially named – The Capital One Cup. We had been drawn against Nottingham Forest in June, seeing Colin Cooper return to the club where he made 200 appearances. After the game against Rochdale, we weren’t very optimistic.

The game ended 3-1. Pools went 1-0 down through Polish international Rados?aw Majewski in the 33rd minute, and it finished that way at half-time. Still, there was time for Pools to get into the match. We wondered what Colin Cooper was going to pull out his bag after deciding to put a striker on the pitch from the start, which pleased many, especially with the form of young teenage sensation Luke James. We soon got our answer. Scott Flinders was taken off due to an injury, which allowed substitute goalkeeper Andy Rafferty to prove his worth.

Forest looked comfortable all game. They attacked and attacked and after coming close in the first half, Greg Halford got a goal from a corner in the 65th minute. The goal was always coming after Pools constantly failed to deal with his tall, physical presence and he eventually headed the ball into the top corner of the onion bag, Neil Austin failing to keep it out. Immediately after that, Andy Reid pinged a ball into the top end of the box for Matt Derbyshire (remember him) to head past Andy Rafferty. 3-0 Forest, game over.

Pools then got a chance of their own. A throw in from Darren Holden was launched into the box which Forest failed to clear, it fell perfectly for Neil Austin to head past Dorus de Vries in the Forest goal. A goal which didn’t mean much, merely a small consolation and a collectors item for an unlikely source of goals in full-back Neil Austin.

The game ended 3-1, knocking Pools out of the Capital One Cup in the first round. It was almost inevitable that we’d lose to a top end Championship side with bags of quality and tipped for promotion to the Premier League. Forest would be up for it….and were! But, I saw it as a blessing in disguise. This enables Pools to focus on bigger and more important priorities, such as the league. So I hoped for a win on Saturday at home to Southend United in League Two.