Hartlepool United Football Club

Tom Naylor scored the home winner in the fifth minute of added time to settle an incredible contest.

 

Pools made a sensational start with two goals inside seven minutes through Mani Dieseruvwe and Anthony Mancini, but the hosts fought back through headers by Ryan Colclough and Jamie Grimes.

 

Pools came under heavy pressure and looked like holding on, only for Naylor to snatch it for the Spireites and knock John Askey’s battling side off top spot.

 

Askey was forced to make two changes at the SMH Group Stadium, where Dan Dodds and Chris Wreh were ruled out through injury.

 

Summer signing Kieran Wallace came in for his first start in defence, with Joe Grey starting up top alongside Dieseruvwe. Josh Umerah was named on the bench after coming back from a three-game suspension.

 

The good news for Pools was that Charlie Seaman was fit to play after seeming to suffer a niggle in the 3-1 win over Fylde.

 

Pools made a dream start, with the ball hitting the home net after only one minute 49 seconds on the clock.

 

Dieseruvwe won the ball just in the home half before tearing forward into the area and finding the keeper's bottom-left corner with his left-foot shot.

 

Barely had the packed travelling fans settled down before they were celebrating again in the seventh minute.

Mancini and Grey linked up nicely down the right, where Grey threaded a neat pass to the Frenchman who found the goalie's bottom-right corner with his trusty left peg.

Pools almost threatened a third, but Crawford headed over from a Ferguson free-kick.

It was high-octane stuff and Grigg had an opportunity to pull one back in the 12th minute when he was put
through, but a heavy touch took the ball through to Dixon.

However, the Spireites pulled one back in the 15th minute when Liam Mandeville’s cross from the right was headed in by Colclough.

There was an equally bad blow for Pools in the 19th minute when Mancini pulled up in full flow with a problem to his right hamstring. Edon Pruti came on at the left side of central defence, with Wallace moving into midfield.

After the first half began in breathless fashion, it was fitting it ended the same way with Michael Jacobs heading a good opening straight at Dixon in stoppage time, while at the other end Crawford shanked one wide.

Chesterfield came straight out of the blocks for the second period and were rewarded with an equaliser in the 47th minute. After hitting the bar from a header following a Mandeville corner, Grimes nodded in the rebound.

Pools were very much under the cosh from a rampant Spireites and they were forced to scramble a corner away, just, while Dixon made a good save from a Colclough drive.

Askey made a second change when Brody Paterson replaced Alex Lacey just before the hour.

Chesterfield thought they had gone 3-2 up 20 minutes from time through Mandeville, who bundled the ball home, but the offside flag went up to save Pools.

The visitors soon made their final alteration when Jake Hastie came on for Wallace.

There was another scare for Pools 12 minutes from time when Colclough went wide with a great chance.

Pools seemed to get a second wind and from a rare sortie forward, Dieseruvwe was off target from a Paterson cross from the left, while Grey could not get a clean connection in the six-yard box following a Ferguson header.

In an end-to-end finale, Pruti made a tremendous block from sub James Berry’s shot while injured
the opposite box, Grey’s shot was smothered by Palmer.

Pools thought they had hung on for a point when Grigg squandered a gilt-edged chance with his head, but when one final opportunity came up, Naylor took it.

Pools: Dixon, Wallace (Hastie 71), Onariase, Lacey (Paterson 57), Seaman, Crawford, Cooke, Mancini (Pruti 21), Ferguson, Dieseruvwe, Grey.

Subs (not used): Jameson, Umerah

Goals: Dieseruvwe 2, Mancini 7

Booked: Pruti 45, Lacey 47, Paterson 61, Crawford 83, Dixon 88

Referee: Garreth Rhodes

Attendance: 8,451 (away 1,030)