Four points dropped with disappointing draw double

HARTLEPOOL UNITED

I DON'T enjoy nil-nils. I always set my stall out to win the game and when a nil-nil pops up, or even when a draw pops up every now and again, I'm not going to be going home happy on the bus for seven hours.

It's not the time, it's just that I'll have the game going around in my head. I thought we created a lot more opportunities than them but our opportunities were not easy ones. We had to work hard and individuals had to earn their own chances.

I thought that all over the pitch we were okay but in the final third we couldn't quite find that killer pass – that pass that was going to give our strikers an opportunity to just stick it in the back of the net.

We had to work very hard to get our chances and I think we need a few more spotters that can find the right ball at the right time that creates a goal.

We do work on it, the lads do very well on it and it's not been a problem to us in previous games. We're one of the highest scorers in the league and there are not many times that we get a 'nil'.

All we can do is to comment on this particular game and say that on the day – I don't believe for one minute that it will happen again on Tuesday – we just couldn't find that pass of quality that would have set the two teams apart. I thought we were the ones showing the athleticism and the pace and the power to get into their penalty box a lot more often than they did in ours.

MATCH STATS

GOALS: None.

PITCH: Horrendously boggy but hardly a surprise considering the wet weather.

WEATHER: Wet, windy and bitterly cold.

MATCH RATING: **

TEAM RATING: ***

ATT: 3,633.

BOOKINGS: Hartlepool – Monkhouse (foul), Walton (foul).

VERDICT: A game and afternoon to forget. The rain made conditions tough but that cannot detract from a poor outing for the Glovers. Definitely two points dropped for Yeovil Town, who huffed and puffed with little outcome in the final third. Yeovil had the chances to take the win but should have had plenty more only for quality to be lacking in the final third.

REF WATCH: Dave Webb (County Durham) – Had very little to do in a game lacking action.

WESTERN GAZETTE MAN OF THE MATCH: James Hayter (Yeovil Town) – May have been forced to toil on scraps, but once again was incredibly impressive alongside Paddy Madden. Hayter came up against two burly centre halves and was still imperious in the air.

STAR RATINGS (out of ten) are not given to Yeovil players making an appearance of fewer than 20 minutes. YEOVIL TOWN (4-4-2) – Stech 7; Ayling 6, Webster 7, Burn 7, McAllister 7; Dawson 5, Upson 6, Edwards 7, Foley; Madden 6, Hayter 8. Subs: Hinds (unused), Blizzard (unused), Williams 6 (for Foley, 17), Stewart (unused), Young (for Dawson, 83), Ralph (unused), Fletcher (for Hayter, 78). HARTLEPOOL UNITED (4-3-3) – Flinders; Austin, Collins, Hartley, Horwood; Humphreys, Walton, Luscombe; Poole, Wyke, Franks. Subs: McHugh (unused), Monkhouse (for Luscombe, 65), Sweeney (for Franks, 83), Rutherford (unused), Holden (unused), James (unused), Howard (for Poole, 65).

MATCH STATS

YTFC

HUFC

Shots on target

8

3

Shots off target

4

4

Corners

4

3

Offsides

4

1

Fouls

9

8

CRAWLEY TOWN

WE were really disappointed. We said at half time that the next goal was important, they had nothing to lose and would throw more bodies forward.

We had to deal with that but as good as we were in the first half, we were as poor in the second half. We were poorer in the second half than they were in the first half.

It feels like a defeat because we never gave it a go in the second half. We never gave ourselves that chance to get the next goal, there were too many people out of sorts and they did not look like they had everything in them to be in the position we are now.

We had to remind them that it has been going well recently. But very recently we have not done enough to go out there and win the game.

We may have the competitiveness in our heads but it did not look like that in our body language. They looked a different side in the second half and we did not look like we could handle it, we just didn't perform.

We were pleased at half time and we certainly did not go in the dressing room at the break saying 'go out there, enjoy it, flick it around and be second to the ball'.

The lads weren't up for it on the day. It is two points lost and we will see what happens a bit later in the season but certainly from 2-0 down they needed the win and that's why they came out all guns blazing.

MATCH STATS

GOAL: Yeovil – Webster 4, Madden 18. Crawley – Proctor 46, Sparrow 62.

PITCH: Cut up but better than most Yeovil have played on recently.

WEATHER: Milder but still cold.

MATCH RATING: ****

TEAM RATING: **

ATT: 3,338.

BOOKINGS: Yeovil – Webster (foul). Crawley – Walsh (foul), Proctor (foul), Sparrow (dissent).

VERDICT: A dire second half display saw Yeovil Town throw away a two-goal lead and two points. At half time fans had no reason for concern and no idea what was going to hit them after the break as the Glovers capitulated from a commanding position and were out-battled by a Crawley side that simply wanted the points more. A disastrous second period after a flying start capped a disappointing few days for the club.

REF WATCH: James Adcock (Nottinghamshire) – Went about his job quietly in a game with little incident.

WESTERN GAZETTE MAN OF THE MATCH: Mat Sadler (Crawley Town) – The Reds' left back had the running of Yeovil Town's right flank for most of the evening. Whenever the ball was at his feet the Glovers were under threat as he proved too hot for the hosts to handle. Often given too much time and space that he gratefully exploited.

STAR RATINGS (out of ten) are not given to Yeovil players making an appearance of fewer than 20 minutes. YEOVIL TOWN (4-4-2) – Stech 7; Ayling 6, Webster 6, Burn 6, McAllister 7; Dawson 5, Upson 6, Edwards 6, Gordon 6; Hayter 7, Madden 6. Subs: Hinds (unused), Blizzard 6 (for Gordon, 66), Williams 7 (for Hayter, 78), Stewart (unused), Young (unused), Ralph 7 (for McAllister, 24), Fletcher (unused). CRAWLEY TOWN (4-3-3) – P. Jones; Dumbuya, Essam, Walsh, Sadler; Torres, Bulman, Sparrow; Clarke, Proctor, Hayes. Subs: Connolly (unused), Hunt (unused), Adams (for Torres, 69), Taylor (unused), O'Brien (for Proctor, 77), M. Jones (for Clarke, 85), Maddison (unused)>

MATCH STATS

YTFC

CTFC

Shots on target

4

5

Shots off target

5

8

Corners

5

3

Offsides

3

4

Fouls

12

9