An Alex Reid penalty saw Hartlepool United beat Altrincham 1-0 to mark Landon Smith’s first home game as Owner with three points at the Prestige Group Stadium.
After signing from Southend United earlier in the week, Nick Hayes was selected in the starting XI for the Enterprise National League clash, along with captain Tom Parkes, who replaced the suspended Cameron John.
Pools started brightly, with Nathan Sheron’s first-time strike from distance curling wide of the left corner three minutes in, following neat play from Alex Reid and Adam Campbell.
In a half with a lack of clear-cut chances, the Robins’ Charlie Kirk troubled Hayes twice; a volley from the edge of the box fizzed wide just before the half-hour mark, while a curled effort quarter of an hour later flashed past the right post.
As the first period came to a close, Sheron’s teasing cross was met by Jamie Miley, whose header was comfortable for Luke Hutchinson.
Moments later, however, Hayes was called into action with a smart stop to deny Oliver Crankshaw on an Alty counterattack.
Pools dominated the opening stages of the second half – Luke Charman cut inside from the left before his final effort deflected for a corner in the 48th minute.
Shortly after, Alex Reid drove towards goal and got a low strike off, which was saved well by Luke Hutchinson.
On 70 minutes, Charman met Campbell’s inviting set-piece, but couldn’t get enough purchase on his free header to test the Robins’ goalkeeper.
As the half progressed, Pools continued to search for an opener, boosted by the introduction of Matty Daly and Sam Folarin off the bench.
A delightful cross from Folarin picked out Daly in the 78th minute, whose header from close range rattled the crossbar.
Five minutes later, though, the hosts’ pressure was rewarded. After Reid was brought down by Dan Sassi in the Alty box, the striker stepped up to take the penalty, clinically slotting home into the bottom-left corner.
Just before injury time, Nicky Featherstone’s side almost doubled their lead when Daly’s powerful shot rifled into the side netting.
Pools saw out their one-goal advantage to secure their first victory at home since the end of November, and their second win in three games.
Pools: Hayes, Benn, Parkes ©, Kouogun, McNally, Campbell (Folarin 73′), Charman, Sheron, Hunter (Daly 73′), Miley, Reid
Unused subs: Smith, Ferguson, Johnson, Brown, Aungiers
Goal: Reid
Attendance: 5314
