Hartlepool United 3

Jon Daly 20' 22' 68'

Wrexham 0

 

Saturday 30 September 2006

 

Kick Off @ 15:00



Match Report

Wrexham’s fragile confidence took another blow as they fell to their fourth successive away defeat taking the goals conceded to seventeen in the process.

The game was fairly even up to the first goal in the twentieth minute but another goal two minutes later killed off Wrexham’s chances with the third goal from hat trick hero Jon Daly ending the game as a contest in the second half.

Wrexham made one change from the midweek defeat to Rochdale with Simon Spender replacing Darren Ferguson to play at right back and this meant Lee Roche playing in midfield alongside Matt Crowell.

It was rather surprising not to see Mark Jones pushed into midfield with Josh Johnson featuring on the right but it was in the centre of the park that Wrexham lost the game with both Roche and Crowell over ran by their Hartlepool counterparts.

The game was far too easy for Hartlepool as they brushed Wrexham aside with ease and the Red Dragons only managed to register one shot on target all afternoon when Matt Crowell’s second half free kick finally testing the Hartlepool keeper.

The opening stages of the game were fairly even but Hartlepool did look the team most likely with the movement from the Hartlepool front two causing the Wrexham defence problems all afternoon.

On the other hand, on loan striker John McAliskey found it difficult to hold the ball up at the other end and it was surprising for someone of his build that he failed to win his fair share of headers. Chris Llewellyn did see a lot of the ball against his former club but this always tended to be with his back to goal on the half way line and this limited the effectiveness of Wrexham’s attacks.

Matty Done had Wrexham’s first chance of the game following good link up play between Mark Jones and Llewellyn with Done collecting the ball in space in the centre of Hartlepool’s half. Done advance to the edge of the area but he was well tracked by Darren Williams who managed to put in a blocking tackle.

Wrexham struggled to clear a corner with quarter of an hour gone and were almost punished when Roche could only head clear to the edge of the area from where John Brackstone hit a volley wide of the far post.

A needless corner conceded by Spender when he failed to find Ingham with a cushioned header back resulted in the opening goal of the game in the twentieth minute. Wrexham allowed Hartlepool’s top scorer a free header in the area for the corner and Jon Daly made no mistake by planting his header into the roof of the net from twelve yards out.

Just two minutes later and the game was virtually over when poor defending down Wrexham’s right allowed Jon Daly to score his and Hartlepool’s second of the afternoon. Willie Boland was played in behind the Wrexham defence and with the flag staying down he took the ball into the area with his low cross to the edge of the six yard box was turned in by Daly for a simple goal.

You feared for Wrexham now after they had conceded fourteen goals in their last three away games and you sensed another hiding coming with the Red Dragons 2-0 down with only a quarter of the game gone.

Just after the half hour mark it was almost 3-0 but Michael Ingham did well by diving low to his right to deny a shot from Joel Porter after the striker simply turned Danny Williams and outpaced him with a run into the area.

Wrexham did have another opportunity when Steve Evans headed down from a Crowell corner but McAliskey’s shot was blocked by a well organised Hartlepool defence.

Daly should have wrapped up his hat trick before the first half ended when the Wrexham defence were again caught out after Simon Spender missed his clearance. This allowed Darren Williams to pick out Robson at the pack post and his lay off to Daly was mis-kicked by the striker and in the end it turned out to be a comfortable save for Ingham.

Denis Smith replaced Simon Spender at half time with Mike Williams coming on at left back with Ryan Valentine switching flanks to the right side of defence. Wrexham did fair better in the second half but it was still Hartlepool who continued to run the show.

The first chance of the second period fell to Wrexham and it was not surprising that it came from a set play. Steve Evans again won the initial header for Wrexham and the ball then deflected off a Hartlepool defender and into the arms of the underused Dimitrios Konstantopoulos.

Wrexham’s only shot on target came eleven minutes after the restart when McAliskey was fouled twenty yards out from the Hartlepool goal. Crowell managed to beat the wall with his free kick but the shot lacked any power to trouble the Hartlepool keeper who made a comfortable save.

Hartlepool wrapped the game up in the sixty eighth minute following more poor marking from a corner that allowed Daly another free header to complete his hat trick with the ball going in off the base of the far post.

Wrexham should have been down to ten men for the last twenty minutes when Steve Evans caught hat trick hero Daly with a blatant elbow. This forced Daly off and he required five stitches in his head wound but the referee just issued a yellow card to Evans with this decision annoying the home crowd.

Jon Newby then replaced Matty Done with some of the Wrexham players looking on confused at the bench as the only source of pace was removed from the team. Hartlepool also replaced Joel Porter and the game petered out with the only incident was a booking for Ingham after he questioned a free kick awarded against Danny Williams.

The final whistle went with the Wrexham players leaving the pitch with their heads down and unless this run of form can be addressed it will turn out to be a long hard winter for Wrexham fans.

Match Reaction

Denis Smith: "I don't think we deserved that, because until they scored I thought we might have been edging it. After that it was an up hill fight and while we have come out after half time and given it a go, looking the better side again. But the third went and it was all over. Whether it's confidence or what I don't know, but It's silly mistakes which are costing us at the moment. We needed to get the third goal, but once that went against us, I changed the system and one or two other things, but we were clutching at straws." [Source: Wrexham FC]

 

Danny Wilson: "I was delighted with the way we approached the game. It was a very physical game but we stood our ground and got the first goal which was very important for us. I don't think 3-0 flattered us in any way because by the end it was very comfortable for the lads. We're going to have to keep giving him whatever we're giving him. This has been a great test of character for him and he's come through with flying colours - he's won me over, he's won the other players over and he's won the fans over too." [Source: Hartlepool United FC]

Hartlepool United

Starting XI:

01 Dimitrios Konstantopoulos
23 Darren Williams
05 Michael Nelson
06 Ben Clark
19 John Brackstone
24 Alistair Gibb
17 Willie Boland
18 Gary Liddle 30'
03 Matty Robson
09 Joel Porter 84'
25 Jon Daly 73'

Subs:

11 Eifion Williams 73'
12 Gavin Strachan
16 Lee Bullock 30'
20 James Brown 84'
21 Jim Provett (GK)

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 12
Shots on Target: 8
Shots off Target: 4
Possession: 63%
Fouls Conceded: 11
Corners: 6
Yellow Cards: 0
Red Cards: 0

Wrexham

Starting XI:

01 Michael Ingham
14 Simon Spender 45'
08 Danny Williams
05 Steve Evans
03 Ryan Valentine
07 Mark Jones
02 Lee Roche
12 Matt Crowell
20 Matty Done 73'
22 John McAliskey
11 Chris Llewellyn

Subs:

13 Michael Jones (GK)
15 Mike Williams 45'
17 Josh Johnson
18 Jon Newby 73'
21 Marc Williams

Stats:

Shots on Goal: 3
Shots on Target: 1
Shots off Target: 2
Possession: 37%
Fouls Conceded: 20
Corners: 2
Yellow Cards: 2
Red Cards: 0

Match Notes

Venue Racecourse Ground
Attendance 4,452
Half Time Hartlepool United 2 Wrexham 0
Referee G Sutton (Lincolnshire)

Other Match Reports

Wrexham Dragons: Final Whistle Podcast


BBC: Hartlepool 3-0 Wrexham


Hartlepool United FC: Dragons Slayed


TEAMtalk: Daly hat-trick makes it three for Pool


Wales on Sunday: Smith gets that sinking feeling


Wrexham FC: Hartlepool 3 Wrexham 0


Wrexham MAD: Hartlepool United 3 Wrexham 0

League 2 Results

Darlington 2 Grimsby 2c(Friday)
Accrington Stanley 2 Wycombe 1
Barnet 3 Milton Keynes Dons 3
Chester 2 Bristol Rovers 2
Hartlepool 3 Wrexham 0
Hereford 1 Macclesfield 0
Lincoln City 0 Bury 2
Rochdale 1 Shrewsbury 1
Stockport 0 Peterborough 1
Swindon 1 Boston United 1
Torquay 0 Notts County 1
Walsall 4 Mansfield 0

League 2 Table

   
PLD
GD
PTS
1 Walsall 12 17 27
2 Swindon 12 7 24
3 Wycombe 12 7 23
4 Lincoln City 12 6 23
5 Milton Keynes Dons 12 5 23
6 Notts County 12 5 23
7 Hartlepool 12 3 18
8 Peterborough 12 -2 18
9 Shrewsbury 11 10 17
10 Torquay 12 1 17
11 Darlington 12 3 16
12 Accrington Stanley 12 1 16
13 Hereford 12 -2 16
14 Chester 12 -1 15
15 Wrexham 11 -6 15
16 Rochdale 12 -1 13
17 Mansfield 12 -5 13
18 Barnet 12 0 12
19 Bristol Rovers 12 -7 12
20 Grimsby 12 -8 12
21 Bury 12 -4 11
22 Stockport 12 -7 11
23 Boston United 12 -8 11
24 Macclesfield 12 -14 4

Next Game

Milton Keynes Dons (h), Coca Cola League 2

Saturday 14 October 2006, Kick Off @ 15:00