Hartlepool 1 Argyle 2: Match report

ARGYLE have returned to the number one position in the division - thanks to the Pilgrims' number 2.

Kelvin Mellor, minutes after giving away a penalty which looked to have handed a point to hosts Hartlepool, scored a last minute winner for Argyle to make this year's Christmas a wholly green-and-white affair.

Carl McHugh's classy effort looked to have given Argyle the win, in the game's latter stages, but Scott Fenwick's penalty, conceded by Mellor, gave struggling Pools a surprise lifeline.

Mellor, though, appeared in the right spot at the other end to slide home and give Argyle a victory their second half display certainly merited.

Derek Adams' sole change to the Argyle squad was the inclusion of Luke McCormick in the Pilgrims goal for the first time since November 10, following his recovery from a pair of injuries. Christian Walton switched places, taking a seat on a bench reserved for 18, 19 and 20 years olds...and Deane Smalley.

It would probably be fair to say that many a Pilgrim's eye looked to this game when the fixtures were announced - a 750+ mile round trip, days before Christmas - and saw it either as one to skip, or as an opportunity to freeze to near-death within sight of the North Sea.

As it turns out, El Niño is a Janner, and sparked an unusual airflow than saw a rare visit to Victoria Park where teeth refrained from chattering. Short sleeves were not quite the order of the day among the Green Army, but not needing four or five layers was a welcome change of pace.

The unseasonable warmth seemed to inspire a bright start to the game, as Hartlepool twice earned a corner - though each time failed to trouble Argyle at all - while at the other end Argyle forced a free-kick in a dangerous area. Rhys Oates' pull on Gregg Wylde earned the Pools man a caution, and Craig Tanner's delivery sparked distress in the home ranks, until the referee awarded a free-kick against Argyle with the ball bouncing around the six-yard area.

Another Tanner delivery, this time from the left in open play, found Kelvin Mellor attacking from the right, but the full-back's header soared just wide. Tanner then struck a direct free-kick on target, but found only the arms of goalkeeper Trevor Carson.

Kal Naismith was the first to warm the palms of McCormick, who pouched easily when the former Accrington man hit one straight at him, but the home side must surely have expected to go in front when Naismith cut the ball back to Michael Woods, about eight yards out. The Pools midfielder struck hard towards goal, but the ball was blocked. Stemming even earlier than Oates' deserved booking, Hartlepool fans seemed less than pleased with some of referee Graham Salisbury's decisions, and they turned an extra shade of red when none of the officials chose to side with Hartlepool cries for a handball as the ball was charged down. Without being unkind, the cries resembled those of a side desperate to arrest a slide in form, and hoping for a little assistance from the men in black.

If a little transference was a reason for the home fans' dissatisfaction, then one might have expected it to lift a bit as the game meandered towards the half-time interval. While never coming up with anything that overtly troubled McCormick, Hartlepool became more adept at keeping the football in the opponents' territory, though that had little more to show for it than a couple of dead-balls in good areas and a handful of long-range efforts that McCormick watched bobble by.

Argyle, for their part, looked tidy in spells, usually when the tireless Ryan Brunt was able to interact with the busy Tanner, but a spirited Hartlepool managed to quell any uprising soon enough. Mention in this respect ought to be giving to the services of Michael Woods, who more than once provided a welcome break to his colleagues as his energetic interjections broke up play.

Despite their apparent crankiness, the home fans greeted the half-time whistle with gusto, seemingly pleased with their side's contribution to that point.