A Tyrese Sinclair brace helped Hartlepool United on their way to a thrilling 4-3 comeback win against Solihull Moors at Damson Park in the Enterprise National League.
Conor Wilkinson’s converted penalty and a Gavan Holohan own goal gave the Moors a two-goal advantage midway into the first period, before two goals in quick succession from Alex Reid and Jamie Miley later in the half made it all square.
A late brace from Tyrese Sinclair – his first goals in Pools colours – placed Nicky Featherstone’s side in the ascendancy, with Emmanuel Sonupe’s goal in the final minutes making it an anxious climax for the visitors.
Pools came into the game looking for a first win since beating Gateshead in January, following a winless run of two draws and two defeats in the National League.
Cameron John and Sinclair started in the clash against the Midlands side after being unable to play against their parent Club York City last time out, while Holohan returned to the starting lineup.
Chris Millington’s side were awarded a penalty eight minutes in for a Holohan handball, with Wilkinson slotting his spot-kick home into the bottom-right corner to give the hosts an early lead.
The Moors had a second in bizarre circumstances on 24 minutes; Holohan’s wayward pass back towards Nick Hayes found the back of his own net.
But Pools halved the deficit in the 40th minute when Miley’s set-piece was met by Max Kouogun and then John, who headed back across goal for Reid to nod home from close-range.
Just three minutes later, the visitors found an equaliser. Holohan’s dangerous cross from the right-hand side was cleared only to Miley outside the box, whose thumping strike nestled into the right corner.
Pools threatened in the second period, with Sinclair at the forefront of the play, but suffered a significant blow when Luke Charman was forced to leave the pitch on a stretcher with an ankle injury in the 83rd minute.
However, on 84 minutes a spirited comeback from the away side was completed – Sinclair marked his return to Damson Park with an expert finish through the legs of Walker after latching onto Matty Daly’s looping cross.
In the 102nd minute, Daly and Sinclair combined once more. This time, from a set-piece at the edge of the box, Daly laid the ball off to Sinclair, who bagged his brace with a curling strike into the bottom-right corner – seemingly sealing the points for the visitors.
There was a final twist in the game minutes later, though, when Jay Benn brought down Sonupe in the box, seeing the Moors awarded a second penalty of the match. Bradley Stevenson’s 105th-minute spot-kick rattled the crossbar, before Sonupe acrobatically fired home for Solihull’s third – but Pools held out in the closing stages for three important points.
