Hartlepool manager Graeme Lee is hoping for last night’s win against Barrow to be a catalyst for his side to progress their position in the table.
Luke Molyneux’s brace and a first goal for Omar Bogle, who signed from Doncaster Rovers in January, was enough for Graeme Lee’s side to see off the Cumbrian-based club.
A first league in seven for The Pool which saw them go up to 15th in League Two, six points from 12th-placed Crawley Town, which has prompted Lee to be hopeful of seeing his men progress up the table.
The Northern Echo spoke to the 43-year-old who said: “Cup runs have been great but the league has been the biggest priority for me.
“It’s massive. You look at the two bottom teams have both won tonight so them three points are massive for us tonight to keep that distance.
“But I look and we’ve got games in hand on teams and we’ve got Crawley on Saturday. They are on 40 points but we got there with a game in hand, we beat them on Saturday and we go within three points of them.
“Wins are going to make you look up and that’s what we want to do.”
Barrow took four points in their two games prior to last night, including a win over Northampton, would have been a concern for the North East club, however, the home side put together a fine attacking display to dispatch Mark Cooper’s men.
The Pool initially went a goal down after an audacious effort from John Rooney near the halfway line float into the back of the net.
A spectacular brace, including a slotted finish from outside the area, from Luke Molyneux helped Graeme Lee’s side respond and take the lead.
Omar Bogle put the game to bed before the interval, putting the ball in the bottom corner with very little space in the Barrow area.
The former Grimsby talisman is already proving to be shrewd business for Hartlepool who will be hoping to use his goalscoring experience in League Two to help see them up the table.
Bogle, 28, scored 19 in 27 in his last half-campaign in the league before making an ambitious jump to the Championship with Wigan Athletic in the 2017 January transfer window.
The Verdict
There was resilience in the performance from Hartlepool, after going a goal down early especially to a goal of that quality from John Rooney would have had many teams deflated.
Despite a small spell of Barrow creating more chances after the opener, Hartlepool got back on top and had leading Barrow’s back against the wall.
They limited Barrow’s chances and created their own - being strong on the ball and using the flanks to create space for their hitman Molyneux to produce some magic to get them back into the game and eventually take the lead.
The signing of Omar Bogle and his knack for getting goals at this level will only help aid Graeme Lee’s ambitions of progressing in the table and making the threat of a relegation battle a distant memory.