September Review: Are you watching, Kamara?

By Albatross
October 1 2003

Hartlepool United struggling against relegation? Not a bit of it! September saw Pools consolidate in the top ten, and clock up our biggest victory for decades. Where's Chris Kamara when you want to talk to him? He must be looking for some seasoning to make eating his words a bit more palatable!

It's been yet another good month to be a Poolie. Neale Cooper has guided Pools to fourth place in the table and eleven points from six games - and our spectacular win over Grimsby leaves Pools with the third best record in the division for September. Not bad going for the apparent relegation favourites....

The Manager of the Month award has gone to Phil Parkinson of Colchester; four wins and two draws for the Layer Road side have gained them 14 points, and lifted them from 19th to 6th in the table. The only other real contender may have gained less points, but Iain Dowie's achievement in taking 12 points and going unbeaten with the extremeley limited resources available to him also merits some acclaim. A rise from 20th to 9th has resulted, and on the pitch at least Oldham seem to be getting it together.

Pools are one of no less than seven teams to have gained 11 points, Swindon's achievement slightly greater as they have played just five games to the six of Pools, Plymouth, Port Vale, Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford. QPR also reached double figures with 10, but Ian Holloway will know that they needed to convert some of their four draws over the month to wins; even so, they still sit in third place.

Two other major movers this month, in the wrong direction, have been Wrexham and Luton. Neither side has been helped by playing five games (most teams have played six), but with just four and five points respectively they have plunged down the table. From fifth and sixth places, the two sides have dropped to sixteenth and fifteenth.

Things could be worse though. Just ask Ray Mathias, Carlton Palmer or Lawrie Sanchez - all casualties in Division 2 this month. Their former sides sit in 19th, 21st and 22nd places. For Wycombe it's been an especially bad month; seven games played, and just two points to show for them, and overall just one win from eleven league games this season. Defeat to managerless Tranmere was the final straw for the Chairboys board, but whoever comes in will have an unenviable task ahead of them.

There might be some comfort though in knowing that at least they weren't the worst team in the division for the month. That dubious honour goes to Chesterfield: the Crooked Spireites managed one solitary point from six games, that only coming at the very end of the month with a draw against Bournemouth. Prior to that, they had lost six games in succession, and they remain the only side in the division without a win. It may still be early days, but it's difficult to see the Saltergate side avoiding relegation. With Notts County, Wycombe, Stockport and Peterborough all averaging less than a point a game though, they are far from adrift....

The month ahead will see Pools taking on two of those sides, with an away fixture at Chesterfield and a home game with Wycombe towards the end of the month; before that though are some prospectively tougher fixtures. Bournemouth away on Saturday, Sheffield Wednesday the following week and an away game at Blackpool await us. One thing Pools are showing us so far though, is that there is nothing to fear from anyone in this division: we are fourth because we deserve to be, no team has outclassed us - not even West Brom - and the future still looks good for Pools.