Graeme Lee delighted to see Hartlepool maintain FA Cup momentum with league win

Posted Wednesday, February 09, 2022 by PA

Hartlepool boss Graeme Lee admitted maintaining his side’s FA Cup momentum was key in a 3-1 victory over Barrow.

Pools won plenty of plaudits and praise for their FA Cup defeat at Crystal Palace last weekend but Lee wanted his side to build on it back in League Two action.

And they did just that, securing their first victory in nine games as they turned the game around following John Rooney’s long-range opening goal.

Two goals from Luke Molyneux and one from Omar Bogle sent Pools into a commanding first-half position from which they never looked back.

Lee said: “It’s a great feeling. From the weekend at Crystal Palace all I could think was getting a win tonight to keep the momentum going and keep the fans singing.

“We played well at Palace, but we had to do it in the league tonight again.

“First half we were excellent, scored three fantastic goals and took the chances we had.

“We fell behind to some goal, it was a quality finish. Our response was good and the save by our keeper at 1-0 won us the game. The goals we scored, the runs to create space, opened them up.

“I’m delighted for Omar to score and at 3-1 at half-time what do you do? We wanted to be aggressive and get on the front foot and we invited pressure on but nullified them. The second half didn’t excite me as much as it should, but we came through it.”

Bluebirds boss Mark Cooper was critical of his side’s defending after they shipped three goals in 16 first-half minutes.

He felt Rooney’s spectacular effort from 35 yards should have been a platform to go and win the game.

He said: “We had a great start, a fabulous goal puts us one up and I expected us to manage the game from there. We weren’t in any danger, but didn’t get tight around the box and let half-decent players get shots off.

“You can’t expect to do that in a game of football. Get tight to people. Get tight and stop them and all three of their goals, we didn’t get tight.

“Every player on that pitch knows Molyneux is left-footed so we let him inside, and we let him inside again. Give a good player a yard and he will kill it.

“At 1-0, we had a great chance to get a second but the keeper kept it out and we could have put the game to bed.

“We lacked intensity tonight and I don’t know where it’s come from. We have been front foot and willing to take a ball in the face to block it and I want to see defenders with mud on their kit and there was none of that.”