Report: Another Bore Draw For Goal-shy Pools

It's now one win in nine for Neale Cooper's Hartlepool after a stalemate against Brentford

Neale Cooper made just one change to the side that held Colchester on Good Friday as Jack Baldwin was dropped from the side once again, with Peter Hartley taking his place in the back four.

It was a bright start for Pools, Evan Horwood and Andy Monkhouse working well on the left wing during the early stages, but the game soon found an all too familiar groove as the home side saw plenty of the ball but did very little with it.

On-loan striker Ryan Noble had two good chances but smashed both of them way over the goal while Antony Sweeney's header from a Neil Austin cross was directed straight at Richard Lee in the Brentford goal.

The visitors, strangely for a team chasing the final play-off place, seemed more than happy to play for a point with their occasional ventures forward not causing Pools any trouble.

The game continued in a similar vein in the second half as Pools struggled to break down the Bees' defence until the introduction of Luke James just before the hour mark.

James proved to be a positive influence on the game with Pools continuing to control proceedings, although a goalmouth scramble following a Horwood corner the closest Pools came to opening the scoring.

The home side did have the ball in the next when James whipped a ball in towards goal from a deep position, Ryan Noble got a touch to help the ball into the net but was adjudged to have been in an offside position.

That was as good as it got for Pools, and Brentford could have snatched a win when Clayton Donaldson's classy ball found Toumani Diagouraga free in the box with the goal gaping. But the French midfielder somehow put his put his effort way wide of the target. A huge let off for Pools.

A smattering of boos greeted the final whistle as Pools extended their run without a goal at home to four matches.

FT: Hartlepool 0 Brentford 0

Hartlepool: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Hartley, Horwood, Sweeney, Murray (James 56), Liddle, Humphreys (Boyd 81), Noble, Monkhouse
Subs not used: Rafferty, Haslam, Baldwin

Brentford: Lee, Saunders (Balkestein 73), Douglas, Donaldson (Bean 90), Logan, McGinn (Morrison 61), Diagouraga, Osborne, Thompson, Bidwell, Dean
Subs not used: Forrester, Legge

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