Pools took all three points from this League One clash at The Vic this evening, snatching a 1-0 win against a hard-working Bristol Rovers outfit.

A big second-half display from the visitors saw Danny Wilson's men pushed all the way for the victory but James Brown's first-half goal was enough to separate the sides.

Although Pools enjoyed the majority of possession in the opening half, it was largely a scrappy forty-five minutes as Wilson's men were frustrated by the hard-working and physical approach of Bristol Rovers.

With twenty minutes on the clock, neither side had really tested the opposing keeper. A couple of speculative strikes from the lively Porter, clearly in confident mood after his starring role at Lincoln City on Tuesday night, were the only real shots from either side.

But a tough Danny Coles challenge half way through the first period, which earned the on-loan right back his second yellow card in as many games, seemed to fire Pools up a little as they finally seemed to find their stride.

James Brown, employed in a new role on the left wing was given a tough time as he looked to make his mark on proceedings but despite constant attention from the Rovers defence, it was the young forward who found himself with Pools' best chances on goal.

Good work by Porter saw the striker slide the ball through into the path of Brown who was running in on goal but, when he tried to slot the ball under the figure of Steve Phillips, the keeper got down well to block the shot wide of target.

Minutes later and the tricky winger was back on the goal hunt; a long ball up out of the defence found Brown in a great position twenty yards out. He took the ball down well before firing a dipping shot at target, which landed just the wrong side of the crossbar.

However, it was to prove third time lucky for James Brown this evening and with his next chance on goal, he gave Pools a one-nil lead.

Gary Liddle ran into something of a scrap right on the edge of the area and good determination from the midfielder and Joe Porter saw the ball break free for Brown who was just onside and he slipped the ball under Phillips and into the back of the net from just inside the box, sending the Pools' fans into raptures.

Porter had chance to double the lead shortly before the break when a quickly taken Liddle free kick set him on a surging run towards goal - but his shot, which sent Phillips diving at full stretch, landed just wide of the near post.

It was a deserved half-time lead for Wilson's men who saw some strong possession pay off with a well-taken James Brown effort on 39 minutes but there was more action to come in the second period.

The second half started much as the first had, with both teams struggling to really break through into the final third.

While Lewis Haldane tried his luck with a volley from distance, which was held comfortably by Jan Budtz at one end, James Brown saw his jinking run forward come to an end with a corner kick.

And it was the visitors who came closest to scoring first in the second half; a corner kick found Rickie Lambert at the far post and, with a goal looking a certainty, he fired high over the bar, much to the relief of the Pools fans.

Just minutes later and Wilson's men were appealing for what looked to be a penalty kick; Joe Porter was sent crashing to the ground inside the box when a combination of Steve Phillips and Craig Hinton collided with the striker but referee Mr Boyeson waved play on.

As the second half opened up much more, making for a more entertaining game, Jan Budtz made a Konstantopoulos-esque save. A blistering shot from David Pipe from the right side of the box looked set to be draw the game level when Budtz threw himself to the ground and blocked the shot with an out-stretched palm. The big keeper recovered well to get up and collect the rebound-shot from Richard Walker as the visitors looked for a way back into the game.

A Lambert free kick in a strong position just fifteen yards out on goal was once again saved impressively by Budtz, with Ben Clark reacting strongly to block the rebound effort from Campbell.

And the pair combined again just seconds later to deny Walker from firing in from close range.

Pools were denied a second penalty shout when Richard Barker was sent hurtling to the ground inside the box in a challenge with Hinton but the assistant referee signalled that a corner was the only result of the tackle.

But it was the visitors who were pressing most and Ritchie Humphreys was forced into a last-ditch challenge inside the box when Haldane got into a shooting position, while Lambert fired high with a fierce shot from distance.

Wilson's men had to withstand increasing pressure in a game which more than slightly resembled this same fixture at the end of last season - when Pools took the lead only to be pinned back in the second period.

Budtz pulled off another great save with Steve Elliott fired a point-blank header at the keeper but once again he came out on top to block out of the danger area.

A Richard Barker header for Pools from a Humphreys corner kick was blocked out by Phillips while Danny Coles had the same job to do at the other end when Sean Rigg fired at goal from close range.

There was controversy in the dying minutes as Joel Porter had the ball in the back of the net when he nipped in between Phillips and defender Elliott to hit home but the referee awarded the free kick to Rovers, despite an apparent pass back as referee Mr Boyeson incensed the home fans increasingly throughout the game.

With Bristol Rovers throwing everything, including keeper Steve Phillips up front in the closing minutes, Pools really did have to dig deep to hold onto the three points at The Vic this evening.

In the final minute of injury time, sub Andrew Williams fired a cracking shot at goal, which beat the Pools defence to crash against the crossbar and rebound back into play.

It was a tense finale for Wilson's men as The Pirates really did push all the way, but heroics from Jan Budtz in goal and some solid defending right throughout the team saw the three points head Pools' way.

Next on the agenda is a tough trip to Swansea City next weekend but with Pools' away form so far this term, confidence will be high amongst Danny Wilson's squad.