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Hartlepool United 0 Stockport County 1

Simon Smedley
27/ 8/2008

I’M sure there’s much, much more going to be said about young Tommy Rowe over the coming months and years, but once again he thrust himself into the limelight on Saturday with a breath-taking stoppage-time winner.

Showing coolness and control which belied his youthful years, he turned brilliantly inside centre-back Sam Collins with 94 minutes on the clock, before burying a brilliant shot low into the corner of the net from 15 yards.

What a goal it was, and one which earned the Hatters a first victory back in League One which they possibly, or even probably, deserved.

There was drama prior to kick-off on Saturday at sun-drenched Victoria Park.

Thigh injury victim Peter Thompson had already been forced to settle for a place on the bench as he still wasn’t 100 per cent fit, but when his replacement Matty McNeil suffered a knee injury during the warm-up and had to limp back to the dressing room, it meant Jim Gannon had to promote Anthony Pilkington from the bench and into the starting XI.

It was hardly an ideal start for the Hatters, and it almost got even worse on four minutes when Pools’ front-man Joel Porter saw a header bounce behind off the top of the crossbar.

Ritchie Humphreys drove a shot wide, before County responded when Carl Baker produced a nifty turn and shot which was saved by Arran Lee-Barrett.

On 13 minutes Pilkington showed great pace and drive, but his goal-bound shot from 20 yards was superbly turned round the post by Lee-Barrett.

County had their tails up midway through the first half, and next it was Michael Raynes who headed wide from Rowe’s in-swinging corner-kick.

The hosts survived a strong penalty claim from County after Baker’s cross looked to have hit a hand, but Owain fon Williams soon had to be at his best at the other end as he dived to beat away Ritchie Jones’ shot.

Ten minutes before the break Jonny Mullins was County’s saviour as he somehow dived full length to keep out James Brown’s point-blank shot.

A thoroughly entertaining game then saw fon Williams produce a blinder of a save to keep out Andy Monkhouse’s crisp volley.

County had the first decent chance of the second half. Jim McNulty crossed and Rowe forced Lee-Barrett to save from his glancing header.

However, the visitors were within a whisker of opening the scoring on the hour mark.

McNulty crossed dangerously into the danger zone, then as the ball fell loose, Rowe thumped a sweet right-foot shot against the Hartlepool crossbar.

It was looking more and more as though County could go on and win this game, and again on 74 minutes McNulty crossed from the left and Stephen Gleeson nodded narrowly wide.

Porter was still looking lively up front for Pools, and on 76 minutes he went close with a fancy overhead kick, before Gareth Owen then had to get in the way of Antony Sweeney’s goal-bound drive.

It was building into a frantic finish, and County sub Paul Turnbull saw a well-directed header deflected just wide for a corner-kick.

However, once again, the last word just had to go to that special kid Rowe.