A superb strike from Carl Magnay handed Hartlepool a 2-1 win against Barrow in a massive relegation six-pointer at the foot of the National League. It was Pools' first away win since October and it carried them four points above the drop zone as Ray Singh prepares to take over the club. They have now leapfrogged Barrow, who remain 20th in the table, with only goal difference keeping them above the relegation zone. However, Barrow still have two games in hand and Pools still look in grave danger, with 21st placed Solihull Moors just three points behind, with plenty of games remaining.
Check out a review of Sportsbetting ag, find the best odds on the market and you will see that Hartlepool are still favourites to finish in the bottom four and go down. If the oddsmakers are correct, Solihull Moors and Barrow will escape the drop and Pools will be playing National League North football next season. But if they play like they did on Wednesday night they will stand a great chance of battling their way to survival.
They enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening stages and were well on top, only to fall behind to a strike from former Pools forward Luke James after 18 minutes. But their heads did not drop and they continued to apply pressure, which was rewarded in the dying minutes of the first half when Conor Newton slotted home from a tight angle. They were the brighter team after the break and they took the lead early in second half when Magnay banged in a screamer from 35 yards, quieting the hundreds of Barrow fans that had braved the chills at Holker Street stadium to watch the action unfold. Any fans' hopes of a late barrage from Barrow were unfounded as Hartlepool closed out a comfortable victory to boost their survival chances.
Singh and his consortium, which also includes Sky Sports presenter Jeff Stelling – a lifelong Pools fan – will go through imminently. It cannot come soon enough for the beleaguered club, as the local council has had to loan it money to pay its salary bill for March. Pools chair Pam Duxbury said: “Negotiations are continuing to secure a new owner for the football club. In the short term we have approached Hartlepool Borough Council to provide a temporary loan towards the cost of March's salary bill.
The heads of terms have been agreed. The finer legal process is to be agreed and both sets of legal teams are expected to be working through the night to get things finalised.” It will not be soon enough to bring in new faces for the rest of the season, but Singh should be in charge for the next game, at home to Bromley 10th placed Bromley on Tuesday night. If they can keep the momentum going with a result in that game, they might start dreaming of escaping the drop.
Then it will be all hands on deck for the remainder relegation scrap, starting with a trip to 16th placed Maidstone and a home game against bottom club Guisely. If Pools play like they did against Barrow they could well take four or more points there, and then there is another enormous relegation six-pointer on April 7, when Hartlepool host Solihull Moors. The result of that game could decide who finishes in the bottom four. Solihull Moors are in strong form and beat Bromley 2-0 last time out thanks to strikes from Kwame Thomas and Alex Reid. That followed back-to-back draws against Torquay and Gateshead, so they are hitting form at the right time and the denouement to season should prove to be really gripping at the bottom of the National League.
