Graeme Lee hails ‘great start’ as Hartlepool win his first home game in charge

Posted Thursday, December 09, 2021 by PA

Graeme Lee praised his Hartlepool players for coming from behind to beat Rochdale and celebrate a victory in his first home match since taking over as manager.

Lee jumped up and down in delight on the touchline after Mark Shelton grabbed a dramatic stoppage-time winner for Pools.

Mark Cullen’s sixth goal of the season in the 65th minute had cancelled out Josh Andrews’ finely worked opener 10 minutes earlier for Dale.

But Hartlepool, having lost five League Two games on the bounce, needed more and it arrived courtesy of Shelton’s winner in the dying stages.

Lee, whose first game in charge was the FA Cup win at Lincoln, said: “It’s a great start. Last-minute winners, we will all take them.

“The pleasing thing is we have come from a goal down because they have struggled in previous games and they have shown a bit of character.

“Rochdale have had a lot of the ball and I think they will be contenders come the end of the season. We knew they could be hurt on transitions, the first goal was exactly what we thought could happen. The first one from Mark Cullen was a fantastic goal.

“The emotions are running high and we want to win home games, we want to be a challenge and to get that last-minute goal felt great coming in. It is a great reward.

“The league is the important one so to get the win is brilliant for us all.”

Rochdale boss Robbie Stockdale, back on Teesside where he was brought up, was furious with the way his side lost the game.

It looked as if Dale were going to extend their unbeaten run to nine league matches but Hartlepool’s late winner left them in 16th.

Stockdale said: “In many aspects I’m disappointed, mostly with our play. It wasn’t to the level what I expect and demand. We didn’t deserve to lose the game the way we did but I wasn’t happy with the goals we conceded.

“The most disappointing thing is I don’t think we played to the levels we have at other stages of the season.

“We didn’t do the basics, the things we ask them to do and the things they need to do to get a result.

“We were probing but we didn’t create loads of opportunities but if we aren’t going to win the game then don’t lose the game.

“This is a young set of players who have been used to getting performances over results and I want to change that mentality.

“It sticks in the throat we didn’t do that. We have been beaten by a late sucker punch and both goals were preventable. We have to do all aspects better. We weren’t good enough tonight.”