Rotherham United 0 Hartlepool United 0
Match Report
Hartlepool earned a welcome point at Rotherham at the end of a turbulent week that had seen manager Martin Scott suspended from duty following reports of a dressing room incident after the defeat by Blackpool. Youth team coach Paul Stephenson took charge of the team for the trip to Yorkshire and he made several changes. Michael Nelson and Micky Barron both missed the trip through suspension, while Gavin Strachan was ruled out with a break in his leg sustained in the Blackpool game. Loanees Jon-Paul Pittman and Gerard Nash also missed out with minor injuries and returned to their clubs. The side that took to the field at Millmoor had a youthful look to it with Michael Maidens, Matty Robson and Stephen Turnbull all starting. Ben Clark and Mark Tinkler started the game at centre half.
Pools made most of the running in the first half, with Turnbull setting the pattern in the first five minutes with a shot from distance that flew just wide. Robson and Maidens were causing problems down the flanks and, when the latter found Jon Daly with a good cross, the striker was unlucky to see his header cleared off the line. At the other end, Will Hoskins was denied by a fine Dimi Konstantopoulos save, and both John Mullin and Paul Shaw put good chances wide.
The second half followed a similar pattern to the first, with Robson carrying most of the visitors` threat but Rotherham still having good chances of their own. Hoskins had a header cleared off the line for the Millers and substiute Jonathan Forte brought another good save out of Konstantopoulos. Eifion Williams fired wide for Pools while Gary Montgomery saved well from a Antony Sweeney header. The travelling supporters had a scare midway through the half when Clark appeared to foul Forte in the area. Referee Tony Leake ignored the loud appeals for a penalty. It looked a close call, but after Blackpool had been awarded a penalty for a foul outside the area a week before, maybe it was Pools`s turn for a bit of good fortune.
The final whistle brought an appreciative reaction from the travelling support. It hadn`t been a great performance by any stretch, but it was an improvement and there seemed to be a general feeling of optimism among the supporters. It was as if rock bottom had been hit, and the team was starting to climb back upwards.
Lineups
