Gillingham 2 Hartlepool United 1


McCunnie seeks a cure to Pools bout of travel sickness WHEN Jamie McCunnie moved to Hartlepool United from Dunfermline in the summer, the Scot knew he was in for some long days and nights ahead on the road. "I didn't realise how long some of the trips would be, but the boys have been filling me in and we've got a few tricky journeys ahead,'' he said a matter of days after his arrival at Victoria Park. Little did he know that five months down the line just how tricky they would be. It's not so much the long hauls from the North-East - Pools are in the process of clocking up almost 3,000 miles in four weeks - it's the nature of the trips home which is making them unpalatable.

You didn't need an umbrella and cup of coffee on the touchline to realise that Gillingham were nothing short of awful in the first-half on Saturday. They looked precisely like a team which had made a rack of new signings from outside the Football League, and Pools were in control. The Gills were every bit as bad as Port Vale and Millwall, whom Pools had seen off away from home this season. In Adam Bygrave, they had a central defender so out of sorts he could play for England. But, not for the first time - and the way it's going it might not be the last either - Pools contrived to throw the game away.

Ahead from James Brown's goal, it took all of 48 seconds of the second period for Pools to concede as the defence failed to heed statutory warnings about keeping it tight for the opening minutes of the half. And, as Pools headed back up for M1 on Saturday night, it gave the players plenty of time to stew over another case of what should have been. "It's the same every week and we are all getting fed up of it. It's so frustrating,'' said McCunnie. "As we went out at the start of the second half the manager said they would come for us - and then we go and concede a terrible goal within a minute. "We weren't over running them, but we had the better of them in the first half, no doubt about that. "I read and hear about last season and the amount of clean sheets the team kept, but it's not happening this season is it? We are giving goals away every week - we are having to score two or three goals to win a game and, away from home, it's suicide.''

McCunnie, again selected in central midfield, added: "It could have been game over in the first half, but it wasn't. "I know what people mean when they say we could have had it in the bag by half-time, but all we have to do as a team is get the ball out of the penalty area and defend. "Maybe they deserve a bit of credit for the second goal, it was a good strike, but the first goal - we had two or three chances to get rid of it and put the pressure back on them, even put the ball out of the park so we can reorganise. "It's hard to take, it really is. And it's a long journey back up the road to think about it. "It's a pain in the arse, the same story every week - we are in control and playing the better football, but be it at one end or the other . . .''

And speaking with brutal and refreshing honesty, McCunnie admitted: "There's been too many games like this. It does my head in. We were in the bottom half of the table before this game, it's not good enough. "I don't want to go blaming people, it's not like that. But it's silly and people know that. Now you have to sit on the bus for hours with your face tripping you up.'' It should have been smiling faces all the way home, because one goal in front, a second would have surely been enough. Somehow it didn't arrive minutes after Brown's opener. Ali Gibb's cross from the right was met perfectly by Richard Barker. His firm header ended up being tipped over the bar by the inspired home keeper Simon Royce.

Barker later had two words to say about the save: Gordon and Banks. Gibb put over some decent crosses from the right flank, but hesitated in front of goal when presented with a chance. When the ball went from left to right to Gibb at the far post, he never looked at ease before a shot was blocked. By then, Gills were level. Micky Nelson's wayward defensive header was returned to the penalty area, keeper Jan Budtz jumped into the melee of players and Dennis Oli tapped in. Oli, on his home debut after signing from Blue Square Premier side Grays, then made it two. He ran at the defence on the left side and netted past Budtz. Just like manager Danny Wilson said the previous week when more points were lost against pitiful opposition in Bournemouth, Pools have to be more clinical in both areas. This morning, it's a haul to South Wales ahead of tomorrow's game at Swansea.

By the time the players are heading back from Hereford on Saturday night, there might be a good pointer for the way the season is heading. "It's not like we aren't wanting to win games, of course we do and again we were the better team and again we have lost a game away from home we shouldn't have,'' added McCunnie. "Then we sit on the bus all the way home thinking how it happened. "It's a horrendous week on the road for us. When I came down to Hartlepool to play in this division, I didn't know where places where - I certainly do now. "It's like take your packed lunch, we are on the bus again' It's a nightmare and it seems to take forever. "We are back on the road on Monday and will get back at God knows when on Wednesday morning. "Then it's away again on Friday to Hereford, away at Yeovil the week later and we've got one Saturday home game to come and it's back away at Swindon. I've never known anything like it.

"I'm not sure where Yeovil is, I'm not sure where I want to know. "Maybe being away for so long can be a good thing, I don't know. "Hopefully it can be, this season is going to go one way or another now. "Being together on the bus means we can get together and turn things around. "We aren't far away are we? Hopefully we can turn it around because we have a few games coming up and if we can go on a bit of a run to get us up there.''

It might be honest but its very depressing.

And I am now beginning to think its gonna be a long miserable winter ahead.

I cant see us winning at Swansea or Yeovil, the fans wont get behind the team at home to Tranmere, and I dont even want to think about Hereford.

To be honest though, I wont be celebrating a cup win over Hereford if we lose all of the league games around it.

The cup is just a bonus.......a bonus for good league form. Its not an alternative.