So much for the curse as Pools win again

By Albatross
February 23 2005

So much for Manager of the Month carrying a curse - Pools are still at the top end of the form table with Cooper still in with an outside chance of taking the award for a second month in a row. And there may be bigger prizes ahead....

Having finally beaten Brentford in what was our 6th encounter in the last two years, Pools have advanced into 4th position even if only temporarily; was someone talking about the curse of Manager of the Month? While February has seen us lose twice so far, we've now won three times as well - two of them away from home - and are once again at the business end of the form table for the month.

The League Table makes very encouraging reading at the moment, although if Sheffield Wednesday win tonight we will drop back down to 5th. We're consolidating our position in the playoffs, and still have a chance to threaten for automatic promotion. Luton now look out of reach, 14 points ahead of us - a number very familiar to Pools fans of course - but even though we could close the gap on them to single figures by winning our games in hand it's a very big ask.

The other teams though are a different matter. We're five points behind Hull having played a game less, three behind Tranmere, who have also played a game more, and if the Owls win tonight we will be level on points with two games to catch up on. There's then a five point gap to Bournemouth, and the team currently leading those outside the playoff places is Bristol City - some seven points behind Pools and having played a game more. A more realistic threat is Brentford, who could reach 53 points with their game in hand over us - but even so we have a useful 5 point cushion with games in hand on almost everyone around us.

With some potentially critical games coming up in the middle of March (notably at home to Tranmere and away to Hull) our destiny is in our own hands - however first of all we've got to keep our good form going against Stockport and Wrexham. Both look like games we should be favourites for - but both are also scrapping for their lives at the bottom of the table and turning up expecting us to stroll to victory would be a big mistake. Much of our success over the last few seasons has been based on doing well against the lower ranked teams - by definition, if you win the vast majority of games against teams in the bottom half you will be there or thereabouts. After all, last season we lost all four games against the top two - and only took one point against third placed Bristol City - but still ended up in the playoffs because we beat the teams we were expected to and rarely slipped up against them.

The influence Neale Cooper and Martin Scott are having can't be underestimated. Yes Coops has made a few signings - last night we saw Konstantopoulos, Nelson, Clark, Ross, Strachan and Porter all starting - but players from the previous era have been given their chances, and we're starting to see some of them really fulfil their potential. Cooper has taken some of them by the scruff of the neck and improved them in many cases; and with Scott to guide him on the wealth of young talent we seem to have coming through, he has preserved (or perhaps rediscovered?) the team spirit that we showed when storming to the top of Division 3 two years ago. Boyd has become the first Pools striker since Andy Saville to reach 20 goals in a season; Sweeney has gone from a player wondering if he'd still be in pro football to one that's looking to have a very bright future indeed; and Porter is showing us precisely why Cooper was so keen to sign him. The depth of the squad - a real concern earlier in the season - suddenly seems so much better, with Pools defeating a good - if tired - side despite missing three regulars in Robertson, Westwood and Tinkler.

Next up then for Pools - weather permitting - is a trip to Edgely Park and a meeting with former boss Chris Turner. There will be a full preview on Friday, but Pools must surely fancy getting a positive result, with the Hatters going down to Chesterfield last night. A win for Pools would improve our position still further, while simultaneously hammering another nail in the coffin of CT's charges - but there's no room for sentiment where promotion's concerned - and that must surely remain our aim.