Hartlepool United Women suffered a difficult afternoon against promotion-chasing South Shields on Sunday, going down to a 5-2 defeat at Grayfields. Two impressive strikes from Jade Pye and Robyn Foster had Pools in contention but Andy Stuart’s side were picked off by a clinical visiting opponent.
Pools started with promise as the ever dangerous Foster asked questions of the South Shields defence. She had the home side’s first attempt on goal - a low shot which was comfortably gathered by the goalkeeper.
The visitors took the lead midway through the first half. The Hartlepool defence looked for an offside call that never came, leading to a cut across the face of goal and simple finish for Shields’ Ellie White.
Hartlepool weren’t behind for long as an equaliser came four minutes later. Home captain Pye’s free-kick from distance proved too strong for the Shields goalkeeper to hold and levelled the game at 1-1.
The first half wasn’t laden with chances for either side but South Shields were clinical when theirs came along. They regained the lead in the 32nd minute - Jen Wootten was given space to provide a killer through ball to Sophie Curle, who confidently slotted past Atalia Robinson into the back of the net.
The Mariners added a third before the break as Sophie Greener followed in from close-range after a cross hadn’t been cleared, leaving Pools with an uphill battle for the second half.
Pools hit back with the goal of the game early in the second half. Foster took aim from just outside of the box, hitting an unstoppable curling strike out of the goalkeeper's reach to reduce the deficit.
That was as good as it got in the second half though as South Shields regained their foothold on proceedings. After Pools had cleared two goalbound efforts off the line, the Mariners found their fourth goal in the 57th minute through White’s second of the game.
The visitors sealed the game late on through Curle, who blasted the ball past Robinson from close-range to make it 5-2.
Pools: A Robinson, C Geary (Thornton), Z Johnson, Stuart, Garside (Rackstraw), Pye, Basnett (Fielding), M Johnson, Morrison, Thompson (Coleman), Foster
