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  • Kick-off: 15:00
  • Venue: The Alexandra Stadium
  • Attendance: 4412
  • Referee: Attwell, S

Live Commentary

90 mins

That's it, it's all over, the referee has blown the final whistle.

85 mins

Goal!! Tom Pope scores for Crewe.

81 mins

Goal!! Hartlepool have scored with Joel Porter putting it in the back of the net.

79 mins

Nicky Maynard is being taken off, Byron Moore has come on in his place.

78 mins

Crewe are replacing Dean Morgan with Joe Anyinsah.

75 mins

Richie Humphreys is being taken off, Matty Robson has come on in his place.

70 mins

Nicky Maynard goes into the referees book for unsporting behaviour.

67 mins

The referee has booked James Brown.

60 mins

The referee has booked Julien Baudet.

56 mins

Michael Mackay is replaced by James Brown.

56 mins

Willie Boland is replaced by David Foley.

46 mins

The second half is under way with the score currently at 2 v 0.

45 mins

Half time whistle is blown by S Attwell

30 mins

Goal!! Crewe have scored with Nicky Maynard putting it in the back of the net.

20 mins

Goal!! Crewe have scored with Nicky Maynard putting it in the back of the net.

0 mins

The ref has blown his whistle and the match has started.

Match Report

Nicky Maynard notched a first-half double to ease Crewe Alexandra's relegation fears.

The young striker took his tally for the season to seven and Tom Pope sealed the win with a thumping header after Joel Porter had reduced the arrears for Hartlepool.

But the north-easterners were deservedly beaten by a Crewe side that coped better with the windy conditions and poor playing surface.

Hartlepool had few efforts on goal. One threat in the first half saw Anthony Sweeney drive a shot past the post but Crewe came close in the 19th minute when Julien Baudet connected with a Kenny Lunt corner and thudded a header inches wide of the near post.

Maynard then made the most of George Abbey's long low cross from the right wing a minute later. The striker went for the ball with Pools' left-back Richie Humphreys, got the decisive touch and diverted it home.

Then, when Pope headed another Abbey cross onto the post, Maynard was in quickly to finish off ten minutes later.

Michael O'Connor and Maynard again had chances to add to the score before Crewe were lucky to survive a penalty appeal when Patrick Boyle barged Porter off the ball inside the box.

Godwin Antwi made a decisive sliding tackle to deny Maynard his hat-trick at the start of the second half and, while Hartlepool came more into the game in terms of possession, they created little.

Andy Monkhouse's long-range effort was scrambled away from the bottom corner by Crewe keeper Ben Williams, but it wasn't until nine minutes from time that Porter broke onto Gary Liddle's throughball.

Danny Woodards failed to clear the danger and the Pools striker was left to run in on goal and finished clinically.

Just as Crewe fans were fearing a tense finish, Pope rose unchallenged in the 85th minute to head home Lunt's cross and seal an important victory for his relegation-threatened side.

Crewe Alexandra Team

Hartlepool United Team

Crewe Alexandra

Hartlepool United

Corners

5 6

Fouls

8 9

Goal attempts

13 4

Shots off target

4 1

Offsides

1 3

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