Hartlepool fans should ‘buckle up’ for ‘twists and turns’, says Keith Curle

Keith Curle told Hartlepool’s supporters to be ready for a “rollercoaster ride” after a 2-1 victory over Grimsby lifted them off the foot of the League Two table.

Two late goals in the space of five minutes turned the match on its head following Gavan Holohan’s sixth-minute opener for the Mariners against his former club.

Defender Alex Lacey headed a 78th-minute equaliser before an own goal from Niall Maher, under pressure from Josh Umerah, completed the turnaround.

The victory was just Hartlepool’s second of the season and lifted them above Colchester.

Manager Curle said: “Goals change games. We need to get more goalmouth action, we need better quality in the final third. We got in some good positions in the first half, but hit the first man.

“The supporters of this club need to be prepared for a rollercoaster ride. We need to buckle up because there will be twists and turns. Sometimes you can be floating in mid-air, but the end could be amazing.

“There will be twists and turns in every game and we have to grind in.

“The fans played their part today. The support at the end when you see desire, application and the team winning is priceless.

“We are playing square pegs in round holes at the moment. We need to come up with solutions. But the players kept believing. We want this place to be bouncing week in and week out. We need to win games.

“We will take the positives from everything, even in defeat. We still need to get more players in the box. We still need to find another yard in both boxes.”

A frustrated Grimsby boss Paul Hurst felt his side did not do enough to see the game out.

Hurst, whose side went close to levelling late on through Keyendrah Simmonds, said: “We didn’t take our chances. We didn’t defend our crosses well enough, that was always the danger. We spoke about it at half-time.

“At 1-0 there is always that danger. That is there, a possibility.

“In truth I didn’t feel uncomfortable before those goals. You can stand there and not be sure, but I feel we were set for a victory.

“Goals can change games and we defended the ball in the box. We were slow to react, we didn’t do enough to stop the cross, it was a free header.

“I think Josh Umerah was offside (for the equaliser), but he didn’t head it in. I still don’t like where he was, that goal gave them the lift they required. Four minutes later they got a second, they got a lift. It is a disappointing result.”