Hartlepool 1 Argyle 1: Match report

MATTY Kennedy’s third goal in his last three matches since joining Argyle on loan from Cardiff City ensured the Pilgrims did not come back empty-handed from their long journey to the north east.

His goal 13 minutes from time – a carbon copy of his strike against Leyton Orient in midweek – gave Argyle their first draw on the road this season, in their 15th away game.

It was the least the Pilgrims deserved after a dominant first third, in which they should have been out of sight of their hosts but which ended with Pools taking the lead against the lead through Rhys Oates, and a stirring refusal to accept defeat.

Argyle were obliged to make one change to the line-up that had begun the previous Tuesday's shock 3-2 home defeat by Orient, during which centre-back Sonny Bradley and midfielder Antoni Sarcevic – influential players both – limped off.

Sarcevic was the one to miss out, his ankle having failed to normalise after taking a clattering following his opening goal against the O's. Bradley was able to resume his record of having started every EFL match this season –indeed, up until Tuesday, the Yorkshireman had played every minute of the Pilgrims' Sky Bet League Two campaign.

His place, nominally, went to Jake Jervis, with Argyle reorganising their midfield to allow Graham Carey to assume the main playmaking role.

He came directly up against former Pilgrim Lewis Alessandra – nothing but a striker when he played for Argyle under John Sheridan but lately a makeshift midfielder for Pools.

Another ex-Green, Nathan Thomas, lined up directly ahead of him, but an agreement in the loan deal which took Louis Rooney from Home Park to Hartlepool in the final seconds of January's transfer window precluded the Torpoint striker's involvement in the game.

Argyle dominated early possession and twice set Kennedy off for one-on-ones with his marker, Kenton Richardson, who he beat with ease. The second time, he cut the ball back for Carey, who deliberately teed up Jervis with a backheel, and it took a brave block from Scott Harrison to deny the powerful shot.

Kennedy then won a free-kick wide on the left which Carey whipped in on to the head of a diving Ryan Taylor, whose on-target attempt was shoveled to safety by goalkeeper Joe Fryer. Jervis’s subsequent inswinging corner threatened briefly to swing into the goal.

Jervis added width on the other flank to Argyle’s attack and he, too, showed his full-back a clean pair of heels before obliging Fryer to save at the foot of his near post.

The unrelenting Argyle assault continued with Jakub Sokoloik finding Carey with a diagonal delivery that the Irishmen controlled on his chest, beating his man as he did so, before firing in a shot that zipped wide.

As if to remind the Pilgrims that they needed to make their superiority count, Hartlepool fashioned something out of nothing when Thomas sent a snapshot flying over Luke McCormick’s crossbar.

The reminder was timely. Hartlepool’s next meaningful possession saw Scott Kavanagh ping a ball from deep towards the far post, where Thomas’s shot extracted a save from McCormick. The loose ran kindly for Oates, who smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

Argyle, smarting from the injustice of it all, were rattled. Hartlepool dug in and increased their frustration: Threlkeld went through Thomas, and was booked; Carey was King Midas in reverse; no-one could get Kennedy and Jervis going as well as they had been.