Keith Curle knows there is more to come from Hartlepool

Posted Tuesday, December 27, 2022 by PA

Hartlepool boss Keith Curle insists his side can improve on their performance in the 2-1 win at Rochdale and climb away from the League Two drop zone.

Pools registered their first back-to-back victories since February as Callum Cooke’s 80th minute free-kick clinched the points.

Rollin Menayese had headed the visitors into a 39th-minute lead only for Ian Henderson to level on the hour mark and at that stage the home team looked in the ascendency – until Cooke’s quality settled the contest.

The win eased Pools’ relegation worries, moving them three points above the drop zone, while intensifying Rochdale’s, but Curle said there was still room for improvement.

“We can still do better, and that’s not to take the shine off the win,” he said.

“I thought we were very good for about 35 minutes of the first half, dominated possession, looked a threat going into the final third and from set-pieces and you think you keep knocking on the door, you’re going to get a chance.

“Aspects of the second half disappointed me, even though that’s when we scored the winning goal. I just felt we could have made things a lot easier for ourselves but too many times we came up short.

“I know Jim (Bentley) and he’d have been into his players at half-time to get on the front foot.

“They had to be a different team in the second half but we invited a little bit too much pressure and then we had to change our shape and personnel.

“But we got a good reaction from the lads, good understanding from the lads on the pitch of what was required and there was some good defending.

“A committed performance is how I’d describe it, back-to-back wins for the first time since February. That seems a long time ago!”

Rochdale are two points from safety.

Boss Jim Bentley said: “The first half was nervous and lacked quality, they tested our goalkeeper more.

“I’m a centre-half myself and their player got above two of ours, he wanted it more and put it in the back of the net. That’s not good enough. There’s no hard luck about that, that should be do or die, out of the six-yard area.

“We’re too easy to play against, we lack character. Credit to the players, they showed character at the start of the second half but it couldn’t have been any worse!

“They reacted in the right manner, got out of the blocks and were well on top and deservedly equalised and from there it only looked like us.

“But we let them off the hook with a lazy foul and an opportunity to have a shot at our goal. Some would say it’s a wonder goal but it was avoidable and very frustrating.”