1-1
First Half
Hartlepool started the game with a strong wind behind them. Pools won a free kick on their right, the ball was curled into the danger area and headed out for a corner. This produced another corner for the home team, which was aided by the wind causing Budtz to reach back and catch the ball on the goalline.
Green, for the Rovers, shot just wide at the other end. The Rovers, keeping the ball on the floor against the wind, were playing some good football, which produced a shot from McCormack that was deflected for a corner after 17 minutes. Following the corner, Lee's header was cleared out to Wheater but his shot was blocked. Winning another corner, the ball was cleared out of the Hartlepool area down the home right. Eifion Williams, in loads of space, squared to BOYD on the edge of the Rovers area. He rifled the ball low into the bottom corner of the net, giving Budtz no chance to save. First blood to Hartlepool after 19 minutes. Two minutes later, a quickly taken free kick to the Rovers put Coppinger in down the left. He pulled the ball back for McCormack to shoot low for goal but Humphreys was on the goal line to clear. At the Rovers end, Eifion Williams worked his way past two defenders before shooting wide of the far post. Then a cross from the left gave Boyd another chance to get in a shot from 20 yards that had Budtz diving to his right to tip round a post. The game was pretty much end to end with both teams playing some good football but Budtz was having more to do than his counterpart at the other end because the wind assisted the home side when getting anywhere near the Rovers goal. Hartlepool took their one goal lead into the break.
Second Half
The Rovers brought Fenton on for the second half to replace McDaid, who had taken a knock to his knee in the first half. He went to right back and Mulligan went to left back. It was the Rovers turn to have the wind at their backs and, if anything, the wind had got stronger. The order for the Rovers seemed to be to shoot from any distance. A cross by Coppinger on the Rovers left had Fortune-West and Konstantopoulos going up together, falling down with the ball bobbling around on the floor. The keeper was the first to react and snaffle the ball. Wheater tried a shot from ten yards into his own half but it was wide. McCormack had a shot from an angle on the left which the keeper saved. Hartlepool, although under pressure still made an occasional raid into the Rovers half. A couple of corners were won by the home side and Boyd had a good shooting chance but put it wide. Then a couple of corners to the Rovers gave Fortune-West the chance to turn and shoot from close range but he was wide. Both sides now rang the changes, with Dave Penney using his allotted number at the same time by introducing McIndoe and Neil Roberts to the fray. Keeping up the pressure, Horlock tried from 30 yards but the keeper held the ball just under the bar. With three minutes to go to the end of normal time, Green was played in but Dimi was out quickly to shepherd him wide. Green laid the ball back to McIndoe to shoot right footed but it went just wide of the far post. As the 90th minute came up, McCORMACK tried his luck from 30 yards and saw the ball rocket into the top corner, which even the giant Dimi couldn't reach. The match ran down to it's conclusion giving the Rovers a well earned point.