Pools 1 - Wycombe 3

AS I SEEN IT

RUNNING MONKEY sees another home reverse

Despite the record start this season, some fans were starting to ask questions after the two recent defeats. All of us were looking to bounce back this week against lowly Wycombe. Never to change a habit of a lifetime, Pools once again crashed and burned when the club, the fans, and the players needed just the reverse.

After criticism last week both Boyd and Nish were dropped form the line-up, being replaced by Monky and Poole. When the team was announced some fans applauded the move but the wise heads wondered at the wisdom of dropping both of them together. Poole who has only ever had one start and eleven sub appearances could still be classed as a striker, while Monky the self-styled best player at the club has started half of his thirteen games this season but not as a striker, he is a winger, who has not shown the form of last season, but just maybe this might work for MW.

Once the game got under way, to the sound of an old fashioned wooden rattle that Millwall Poolie had picked up in Bournemouth, Pools kicked the wrong way again after being turned round by Wycombe winning the toss. It was obvious that the Pools full backs were instructed to get up and support the new striking pair. It took about twenty minutes for the Pools team to adjust to this set up and Monky was caught out a few times, out wide, crossing the ball for the striker.

One nice move ended with a Liddle shot blocked after some good interplay between Monky, Lidds, Poole and Lidds again. Not for the first time in the half, Murray was robbed of the ball in midfield and left for dead, and this time Pools paid the penalty with a well-deserved goal for Wycombe. I was criticised after the Wendies game for stating we were second best, but I was never a shy kid and I have to say it today. We were second best to a team who wanted it more than we did. They chased and harried and as one football legend whose name escapes me once said "You make your own luck in football."

Ainsworth for the visitors was having a field day, pulling the back three all over the shop while our two full backs were racing back from their forward positions to try and block the holes. Ned made one great diving save to push the ball away from what would have been a two nil lead for the visitors as Pools were pegged back in our own half. Sweeney, who was playing in his favoured position, was unlucky with a cross from Horwood that he headed just wide.

Another deep cross from Horwood was met by Aussie who laid the ball off for Poole, who was wide of the target. Monky again set up Poole but his shot was blocked. The ball played out by Wycombe should have been dealt with by Murray on the edge of the box but the sweetest turn and shot saw the visitors take a two nil lead. They hit the bar with a long-range speculative shot but they were doing what we should have been doing. Again MW's plans went awry as Sweeney, chasing the ball near the dug out, was forced over the line, clattered by a burly centre half, and left the field just on half-time, looking sorry for himself."Never to change a habit of a lifetime, Pools once again crashed and burned when the club, the fans, and the players needed just the reverse. "

The second half we tried to step it up a bit, and Poole was the first to have a pop, but was wide of the mark. An Aussie header landed on the roof of the net but we were making little progress. With the crowd getting more frustrated and vociferous, MW brought both his strikers back on to a crescendo of boos, Nish and Boyd replacing Poole and Murray. I could understand the Murray switch but better judges than I thought Poole should have stayed on. Luscombe, who had replaced Sweeney, was not getting enough of the ball, and I expected more from him.

Pools did start to exert a bit more pressure on the visitors, and a link with Luscombe and Aussie brought the best Pools effort of the game. Luscombe ball through, an Aussie shot blocked, and a trademark overhead kick from the very active Boyd was blocked by Wycombe. Sods law struck Pools again and Sam running in to stop an attack diverted the ball past Ned, and the visitors were home and dry, three goals up. With the 5000 plus crowd streaming out on the third goal Pools were awarded a penalty - don’t ask me why - as I was too busy scribbling, but Boydie stepped up and gave us a very small amount of consolation in a game we were never going to win.