Hartlepool maintained their promotion push in a game of two halves at Brunton Park but didn’t have it all their own way in a pulsating match.
Carlisle dominated the first half and were well worth their two goal interval lead.
The sending off of Richard Prokas early in the second half turned the game in Hartlepool’s favour as they stormed back with three second half goals to clinch the match.
Carlisle manager Ian Atkins was left fuming after the match and said: "We were superb in the first half and controlled the game. Then two incidents lost us the game. Richard Prokas was sent off for a good tackle and their players influenced the referee to have him sent off. I don’t like professional footballers getting fellow professionals sent off. We then get hit with a penalty that Steve Soley is supposed to have handled when he couldn’t avoid the ball. That got them back in the game and they hadn’t hurt us until that point."
In contrast Pool manager Chris Turner was jubilant after the game and said: "The boys showed great character and confidence to get us back into the game. That character has got us to where we are. Carlisle outfought us in the first half but didn’t outplay us. I thought we started to get into the game at the end of the first half and then controlled things after the break."
A neutral in the crowd would have been forgiven for thinking Carlisle were in the play-off position as the Cumbrians dominated the first half but the first clear chance took 13 minutes to materialise. Scott Dobie got away down the right side of the box and Pool keeper Anthony Williams needed two attempts to keep out the shot.
Within a minute Ian Stevens shot over the bar from a good position. Carlisle took a deserved lead on 19 minutes when Dobie played in Mick Galloway, who drew the keeper before clipping his shot into the top corner. Eleven minutes later the Cumbrians went two up when Dobie broke down the right before checking back to chip a lovely ball on to Stevens’ head giving the striker the easiest of goals.
Hartlepool’s first real threat came on 35 minutes when Sam Shilton headed over Darren Knowles cross.
Carlisle immediately hit back with Williams making a flying save to tip Stevens’ header over the bar, closely followed by another excellent Williams save, this time from Stevens’ overhead kick.
Hartlepool went close in injury time, Matty Glennon having to block Tommy Miller’s shot before Stuart Whitehead cleared for a corner.
The game turned two minutes into the second half with Prokas’s sending off for an innocuous midfield tackle on Paul Stephenson.
Carlisle’s reduction to ten men suited Hartlepool’s neat passing style as they began to run the Cumbrians ragged.
On 59 minutes Steve Soley was adjudged to have handled in the box and Tommy Miller despatched the resulting penalty.
Dobie then went close for the home side with a shot just past the post. Pool pushed forward again and Glennon had to go full length to push away Midgeley’s curler.
On 74 minutes Pool drew level with a stunning curled shot into the top left hand corner from Shilton.
Seven minutes later a good run from Miller brought Pools winner as he crossed to give Shilton a simple header for the third goal.
Although Pool took the points the Cumbrians can take heart from their first half performance and but for the sending off incident might have had a different story to tell.
Mike Corry
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