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Hartlepool United 3 Oldham Athletic 3

Gavin Browne
22/ 9/2008

CHRIS Taylor's sixth goal of the season earned Athletic a point following a breathless afternoon of six goals, three bookings and a red card for Latics skipper Sean Gregan.

While Latics were two goals up at half-time before conceding three in seven minutes, they showed great resolve to come back despite playing the last 18 minutes with 10 men.

Even then, they could have snatched all three points as the home side went into their shells but only a curmudgeon of the highest order would have found something to moan about.

Hartlepool's front two of James Brown and Joel Porter gave Gregan and Reuben Hazell problems all afternoon, so it was to Latics' credit that Mark Crossley was not called into action during the first half.

For all Brown and Porter's trickery, the nearest Danny Wilson’s team came to taking the lead was when Brown went down in the area under pressure from Neal Eardley, only for his penalty appeal to be waved away.

At the other end, Eardley hit the underside of the bar from a tight angle before Athletic took a 23rd minute lead. Having already headed wide once, Lee Hughes made no mistake when directing Danny Whitaker's cross past Arran Lee-Barrett. Andy Monkhouse's 30 yard-chip was narrowly off target before Taylor doubled Latics' lead with half-time approaching.

Lewis Alessandra found Andy Liddell, and although Lee-Barrett half-saved his shot, Taylor arrived at the far post to bundle the ball home.

Any thoughts of a routine three points quickly disappeared as the home side roared out of the blocks at the start of the second half.

Monkhouse headed Ritchie Humphreys' free kick past Crossley two minutes after the restart before Antony Sweeney equalised in the 49th minute, stabbing the ball home after the keeper had pushed Porter's effort onto the bar.

With Victoria Park in amazement, Brown shot wastefully over in the 51st minute before his team took the lead a minute later. Referee Tony Bates adjudged Gregan to have committed some shirt-pulling inside the area and Porter sent Crossley the wrong way from the spot.

Back came Athletic though with an equaliser just before the hour as Taylor's shot deflected off Jamie McCunnie and beat Lee-Barrett. Sam Collins headed wide, Chris O'Grady's deflected effort hit the bar for Athletic who also Lee-Barrett deny Taylor a hat-trick with an acrobatic stop.

However, it appeared to be backs-to-the-wall time for John Sheridan's side when Hartlepool broke upfield and Gregan produced a horribly mistimed tackle on Ritchie Jones, earning a straight red card. If anything, his dismissal affected the hosts more as they looked like a rabbit trapped in the headlights for the final 18 minutes.

It was Athletic who went closest to a winner, substitute Craig Davies lobbing narrowly wide, but although some people may see it as two points lost, five wins and two draws from their first seven league games does not make bad reading does it?