Hartlepool United 2 Plymouth Argyle 0

Mar 13 2011 by Mark Douglas, Sunday Sun

MICK WADSWORTH admitted passing the 50-point mark felt like “winning the lottery” as Hartlepool United climbed into League One’s top 10.

They bounced back from a disappointing midweek defeat against Carlisle to record an excellent victory over Peter Reid’s relegation-threatened Argyle, courtesy of goals in either half from Antony Sweeney and skipper Sam Collins.

That was just reward for a performance brimming with resolve and endeavour as Wadsworth’s men managed to extinguish the threat of a very physical Argyle side spearheaded by old-fashioned No 9 Rory Fallon.

Collins was excellent on that front, but he was ably assisted by former Sunderland defender Peter Hartley, who goes from strength to strength in the heart of Pools’ back four.

Wadsworth’s side are up into eighth – a position that keeps alive faint hopes of tilting for an unlikely play-off spot.

“If you’d said to us we’d have had 50 points at this stage in the season we’d have felt like we’d won the lottery,” he said. “We were favourites to be relegated at the beginning of the season and the players have really bought into what we have tried to do and worked exceptionally hard.

“From minute one against Plymouth we showed resolve to win the game. That was the buzz in the dressing room – we want three points, how we get them doesn’t matter. We have done very, very well.” Buoyed by three straight wins, Argyle started well and big striker Fallon forced a 15th-minute save from Scott Flinders.

But Hartlepool’s crafty strike-force of Newcastle loan man Ryan Donaldson and perennial threat James Brown helped put Pools in control.

Inevitably it was the fleet feet of England under-19 man Donaldson that helped to deliver the opener as he danced down the right wing before crossing for Sweeney to dispatch from close range.

Plymouth answered back with a fantastic 25-yard free-kick from Onismor Bhasera, but Flinder palmed it over.

The home side doubled their lead after 64 minutes when Leon McSweeney’s arcing free-kick was nodded across the box by Hartley and Collins bundled home from close range.

The win was marred late on when Sweeney suffered a gash on his ankle and had to be carried off on a stretcher. He is now a major doubt for Tuesday’s visit of Leyton Orient and will be checked over by medical staff in the next 48 hours.