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By Tim Dudding, at Victoria Park |
Albion's involvement in the FA Cup is over for another season after Hartlepool came from a goal down to win 2-1 tonight at a bitterly cold Victoria Park.
Nicky Forster had given Albion a deserved half-time lead with his seventh goal of the campaign, but a contentious Joel Porter penalty and a goal from Gary Liddle capped a spirited second-half fightback from the home side.
After a tentative early spell, Albion were almost caught out by a quick free kick sprayed out to Robson on the left wing, who was hotly pursued by Tom Fraser. Robson was able to fire off a low drive as he entered the penalty area, but Michel Kuipers got down well to his left to parry, and Robson fired the rebound wide.
But despite Hartlepool's early forays, Albion looked infinitely more assured defensively than at Brunton Park three days earlier, and going forward, Forster was beginning to see more of the ball as he typically played off the shoulders of Micky Nelson and Ben Clark.
And, after 28 minutes, Forster made the breakthrough. Having made a purposeful break forward, Dean Cox played a super ball in behind the Hartlepool defence and Forster's first touch took him comfortably past Arran Lee-Barrett before coolly stroking the ball into the open net.
There was little in the way of a response from Hartlepool in the first half, although Matt Richards had to hook James Brown's tantalising cross off the line.
In fact, Hartlepool's response came immediately after the break - just as it had done in the original tie at Withdean - and suddenly Albion were pinned down.
David Foley robbed Cox on the edge of the area and stung the palms of Kuipers, before Brown demanded a similar block from the Albion keeper with an even more venomous drive. Antony Sweeney scooped the ball wide from 12 yards out, while Foley hit another shot just over the bar.
Albion appeared to have weathered the storm, but then the night began to unravel for Micky Adams's men.
First the referee's assistant flagged for a penalty after Colin Hawkins had challenged Porter in the area, and even though he himself had not seen any infringement, referee Mark Haywood pointed to the spot, and Porter emphatically converted from 12 yards.
Three minutes laters Antony Sweeney found himself in space on the right, and his pull-back made it all the way to the edge of the area where Liddle arrived to slide the ball through a crowd of players and past Kuipers.
Albion were stunned into action now, and the game became stretched as they searched for an equaliser. Murray had the ball in the net after substitute Stuart Fleetwood had crossed into the area, but the midfielder was adjudged offside.
And Tom Fraser had a glorious chance to equalise late on with the Hartlepool defence expecting a flag following Forster's flick-on, but the midfielder's volley skidded agonisingly wide.
Albion: (4-4-2) Kuipers; Whing (Cook 82), Elphick, Hawkins, Richards; Fraser, Livermore (Robinson 82), El-Abd (Fleetwood 71), Cox; Forster, Murray. Subs not used: Thomson, Sullivan (GK), Loft, Brinkhurst.
Hartlepool: Lee-Barrett; Sweeney, Nelson, Clark, Humphreys (Monkhouse 63); Foley (Mackay 77), Liddle, Jones, Robson; Brown, Porter. Subs not used: Budtz, McCunnie, Power, Rowell, Tait.
Attendance: 3288 (116 Albion)
Referee: Mark Haywood
Yellow Cards: Cox, Cook (Albion).
