Woking 3-2 Hartlepool United: Despite a valiant attempt after Jack Hunter was sent off, the Pools give up a two-goal lead.
Pools manager Darren Sarll returned to Woking for the first time since his departure last November. This was his second visit to one of his previous haunts this month, following a 1-0 success against Yeovil in Somerset on the first day.
Hartlepool United suffered their first defeat of the 2017 National League season after giving up a two-goal lead to lose in extra time. Pools had a great start and raced into a two-goal lead due to Joe Grey’s brace, but they lost Tom Parkes to injury and then Jack Hunter, who was sent off after two fast yellow cards. The visitors fought valiantly, but goals from energetic replacement Matt Ward, Tunji Akinola’s deflected strike, and a 92nd-minute winner from Harry Beautyman sank Darren Sarll’s side.
Pools manager Darren Sarll returned to Woking for the first time since his departure last November. This was his second visit to one of his previous haunts this month, following a 1-0 success against Yeovil in Somerset on the first day.
Sarll spent 18 months in command of the Cards, taking the Surrey club to the National League play-offs in his debut season, before resigning midway through the next season after a sequence of eight defeats in ten matches.
Pools came to the Kingfield Stadium unbeaten in their first four games, but they needed to improve after failing to impress on Saturday, when Mani Dieseruvwe’s 98th-minute equalizer saved a point against Wealdstone.
Woking, however, lost their first two games before winning three in a row, including a 3-0 victory over struggling Ebbsfleet at the weekend.
arll made three changes from the Wealdstone game, with the seasoned Kieron Freeman replacing Louis Stephenson after the adolescent defender had a difficult 45 minutes on Saturday.
Nicky Featherstone replaced Anthony Mancini in midfield after bringing his usual calm and control to the engine room following his half-time entrance against the Stones; it was the veteran’s 418th game for Pools, making him the club’s sixth greatest appearance-maker of all time.
Billy Sass-Davies replaced skipper Luke Waterfall in the heart of the defence, with Sarll keen to rest the 34-year-old as Pools prepared for their second game in 72 hours; fans will still be haunted by last year’s August bank holiday weekend, when Pools lost Dan Dodds and Mancini and began their slide down the table.
Sass-Davies, who made an excellent debut against Tamworth in Wednesday, played for the Cards under Sarll last season.
Woking, who won their National League status on the penultimate day of last season, have had a difficult summer that has seen them flirt with financial collapse; owner Drew Volpe was eager to sell the club for £1 and kept it afloat owing to a £600,000 loan from his parents.
Manager Micahel Doyle made three changes from his side’s comprehensive win over Ebbsfleet, bringing in Ben Wynter, Jermaine Anderson, and Lewis Walker, the son of former England centre-half Des Walker; former Pools defender Timi Odusina, a fan favourite in Surrey, was sidelined due to injury.
Dale Gorman, Woking’s captain, was an apprentice under Sarll at Stevenage, while centre-back Max Dyche is the son of Everton manager Sean Dyche.
The Cards were raising funds for Gateshead captain Greg Olley, who broke his leg during the Heed’s game against Woking after a strong challenge by Dion Kelly-Evans; Olley later took to social media to confirm that he had no ill will toward Kelly-Evans and was in the early stages of his recovery.
Pools got off to a great start, with Joe Grey scoring twice in the first seven minutes.
Grey completed a fluid play after a beautiful flip by the excellent Kieron Freeman, giving the visitors the lead after only two minutes.
Five minutes later, Grey grabbed onto Mani Dieseruvwe’s brilliant flick and blasted the ball past Will Jaaskelainen and into the roof of the net, making things even better for Sarll’s team.
The home team rallied slightly and had a goal ruled out when Lewis Walker was assessed to have been in an offside position after tapping the ball past Dixon from close range; he definitely didn’t believe so and was cautioned for his protests, but it appeared that the linesman had made the correct decision.
However, things began to change for Pools when Tom Parkes was forced off with what appeared to be a shoulder injury. Manny Onariase was his successor.
Woking had a penalty request turned down as the energetic Dan Moss sneaked in behind Sass-Davies, who was almost caught sleeping, but the referee showed little concern.
Pools were reduced to ten men for the second time in three meetings after Jack Hunter earned two yellow cards in short succession; suddenly, the home supporters were getting into the game, and Darren Sarll’s team had their work cut out for them.
Despite a few stressful moments, the visitors held firm until halftime, notably when David Ferguson deflected Dale Gorman’s free-kick towards Joel Dixon’s near post, and the goalkeeper reacted superbly to turn it behind. Woking believed the ball had deflected off Ferguson’s shoulder, but the man in the center dismissed their claims.
Joel Dixon did well to beat Lewis Walker to a through ball, but he had a tense moment in extra time when he ventured too far off his line and was almost found out by replacement Dennon Lewis.
Dixon made a stunning save five minutes into the second half when Jamie Andrews’ cross found Lewis Walker at the back post, but the Pools goalkeeper was equal to his powerful shot at the near post.
Pools held on and survived a nerve-racking moment on the hour when Dale Gorman’s free-kick went just wide of Joel Dixon’s far post; it was a rare moment of recklessness from Sass-Davies to surrender the free-kick after diving in on the outside of the box.
Woking ultimately equalized with 23 minutes of regular time remaining, when Matt Ward shot past Dixon after juggling the ball at the back post; for the first time all day, Pools gave the visitors too much time in the box.
The home side threw everything at Pools, but Manny Onariase and Billy Sass-Davies provided some superb last-ditch defense.
Despite the visitors’ valiant efforts, Woking equalised 10 minutes from time with Tunji Akinola’s deflected attempt; the goal came as a result of Nathan Sheron’s sloppy play, in which he lost the ball in a perilous situation.
Woking surged forward in quest of a winner, with Lewis Walker coming close before an ambitious penalty appeal was rejected down.
As the time ran down, substitute Deon Moore headed wide from another Woking corner; it was another missed opportunity for Pools, as the Guyana international could have scored.
Despite a determined attempt from the ten men, Woking’s replacement Harry Beautyman won the game in the second minute of extra time, thanks to further superb work by former Ipswich player Matt Ward, who beat two defenders with a driving run to the byline before cutting the ball back.
Pools suffered a painful defeat, giving up a two-goal lead for the second consecutive August bank holiday. Despite their valiant efforts, an unnecessary red card came back to haunt them following a thrilling opening to the game.
Pools: Dixon; Freeman (sub Stephenson, 81), Sass-Davies, Parkes (c) (sub Onariase, 18), Ferguson; Featherstone (sub Sloggett, 65), Hunter, Sheron; Grey (sub Mancini, 84), Dieseruvwe, Campbell (sub Robinson, 65).
Woking: Jaaskelainen, Moss, Wynter (Ward, 45), Harries, Dyche, Jones (sub, Lewis, 26; sub, Kendall, 45); Gorman (c), Akinola, Andrews; Anderson (Beautyman, 61); Walker (Moore, 66).
Att: 2,646 (203).
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