The pressure is on, it sounds like we played well at times in the first half but it is crucial to get the first goal. We will get punished at this level if we don't take our chances, every fixture looks like a tough match.

Hopefully we will bounce back with a win next week......

Sick as a pig,roll on next week

Fecking hell Jonny, the pressure is on... it's the FIRST match, against a team that, in all honesty, no doubt finish in the top six

Well according to some on here Pools are certainties for the top six so shouldn't we be getting results at places like Luton...?

There are no Bostons, Torquays or Accrington Stanleys in this league, the games are going to e tough and we are gonna have to take our chances. The commentry gave the impression that Pools didn't really respond too well to going behind, we may of played ok but we got nothing from the game.

If we get beat next week by one of the promotion favourites then the pressure WILL be well and truly on..........

bloody hell so we got beat away by a team that has just come down from the championship by two dodgy goals and we have another hard game next week against a team that is being tipped to be promoted, this is a dificult league this season just look who is in the top six, Crewe and Cheltenham ffs.
let's not get carried away with defeat

I'm not getting carried away - I was under no illusion that we were now in a very tough league. I've also said that we have a very tough first 5 games. Hopefully the defeat today will spur the players on to be more ruthless next week. I am gutted that we lost a game that we should of got something from based on what Mark Simpson said.....

'If we get beat next week by one of the promotion favourites then the pressure WILL be well and truly on..........'

Jonny, I am in the town next week and was going to take in the Donny game but like you I think we are doomed so wont bother...................

Pressure on after 2 games, what bollox. Are you for real?

why say that, after we lose by one goal, away to one of the promotion favourites?

why?

The aim of the season should be to get to 50 points as quickly as we possibly can. The last thing we need is back to back defeats to start the season with. Hopefully the players will be more ruthless next week.

We can wait till the lads all get back from Luton for them to comment but Mark Simpson seemed to think tht Pools deserved more from todays game, we ceated 4 or 5 good chances before Luton got their chance. We can't contine to miss so many chances and expect to be successful.......

go back twelve months and look at the start we had

Just back, stopping Peterborough for the night. Played some good passing football first half but just never looked like putting the ball in the net. Went behind to apparently some dubious refereering which I missed but after the first half expected us all guns blazing in the second, unfortunateey it never happended. We looked sluggish a bit void of ideas, porter came on for Richie, who missed a couple of good chances but he played him out wide?????
Second goal came from nothing, we didn't seem to have any motivation from then on so I fecked off to beat the traffic. Must have missed our goal
New signings, Antwi looked very good first half, ok second, moore, a lot of running about but that was about it, Mcunnie seemed to do ok, Elliot was not very good and I thought Lee Barrett could have done better with first goal but hard to see from where I was sitting. Lots of huff and puff from richie barker but nowt else. Man of match either Brown or Liddle both who made great runs during the game.

Final word, its going to be one long season unless we have someone to put the ball in the net but i'm sure thats been mentioned before.

Back about 30 minutes ago (as we are southern exiles). Agree with most of what Lightning Tree has said, except I thought McCunnie looked very nervous and lacking in confidence. The team started well with good passing movements & Boland controlling the midfield, having said that there were no real chances. Heads seemed to go down when Luton scored against the run of play, the players should have played to the whistle even if play should have been stopped with a free kick to us. Humps had 3 wild shots all off target and we didn't really look like scoring until we had a penalty. Early days but I cannot see how Moore, Elliot and McCunnie are any better than we had and I think we need a really good keeper. When Porter came on he played wide left, some good skilful touches but this skill was needed in the middle up front. Godwin Antwi was excellent - I was very impressed. I felt sorry for Ben Clarke who has never let us down but found himself on the bench.

Thanks for the reports fella's.

Poolpower - last season we did get beat on the opening day but we played awesomely and we still had lots of gimmie games against cloggers that we would win if we still had Denny Ingram and Craig Midgeley playing for us. This season the bar has been raised, we need to take our chances. We do not want to get into a posistion where if we lose a few we are dragged into a dog fight. Roll on next week when we stuff Donny and my fears are resinded.......

I can't believe that the above reports were of the same match.

First half (scoring aside) we were awesome until we went behind after a very dubious referreeing decision. That said the players should have played to the whistle rather than complaining about the decision. Their player waltzed through and scored from a good strike.

Boland was top man and some of his touches were inspirational.

The defence was sound overall, I have no complaints about any of them, Elliott fitted in very well. In midfield, Humphreys was plain awful. I said to Mr Mad that if it had been Matty Robson rather than Ritchie there would have been plenty shouting for his head. He missed the best chance of the game by far and the rest of the game he seemed to be attempting to beat the world record for missing by the greatest distance or playing people into trouble.

Liddle was the best midfielder after Boland but up front we lacked any penetration at all. I thought Barker looked a bit off the pace and Moore huffed and puffed but did now't. Joel Porter should have been on from the start.

I didn't come away too downhearted though, the result was a travesty, we were good for a draw at the very least. The first goal was due to a referring decision and the second was alledgedly iffy but we were too far away to form an opinion.

This team will get better and better as it gels and Monkhouse comes back in. I'm still confident that we'll be top 6 come next May.

One final point; it was good to see Monty at the game all the way from Montpellier looking very dapper by the way in a linen jacket.

Can't see how your report differed that much from Lightning Tree’s, or mine, maybe with the exception that you thought Elliot was ok. Have to agree about Humps was very disappointing, maybe too eager to impress knowing that Elliot has the full back slot and Monkhouse will return soon.
I saw you at half time on your way back from the snack bar I guess. As I said early days with some positives to take away, such as Godwin Antwi and some good build up play in the 1st half.

I too was at the game and find Mr I sums up our performance perfectly.

Didn't we do loads of fitness work in pre-season? Is it the long trip that took it out of them?

Elliott not very good!?

I thought he was very impressive in the first half some of his link up play down the left was excellent. He did hack a cross into the stand second half like, are you basing his performance on that alone? Barker as well played like he nearly always does winning headers holding the ball up and bringing others into play, I thought he had a very good game, he certainly looks a lot leaner than last season.

I agree maybe Lee-Barratt was a little slow going down for the goal but maybe he stopped like the rest of the team after the totally blatant foul on Boland, one pass later its in the net, how does a ref miss that? Even worse was him not playing advantage when Brown was clean through second where do the football league get these goons from?

I though we created numerous oportunities against a decent team and played some good stuff, I didn't think I come on here and get a negative vibe tonight because for me loads of positives can be taken from today.

Liddle was MOTM for me though, easily the best player on the pitch.

Aye the ref was shocking. Maybe i'm hoping for more from Elliot because he's played premiership footy most of his career but its early days, lets just hope the strikers find their boots sooner rather than later.

Btw, how many times have we heard the same old, your team deserved a point etc.... its no good playing pretty footy and being congratulated by the opposition if you're not picking up the points, but as is said, its early days.

I don't mean pressure in sense that 'Wilsons job is on the line' but if we lose the first 2 or 3 we will be in serious danger of getting into a bit of a scrap down the bottom whether you like it or not. Hopefully today was just a one off, hopefully we will take our chances next week....

MadJohn - Why don't you tell us some positives from todays game then we will all feel a lot better.......

Positives, erm we passed the ball a lot to each other, it was pretty but no end result. I'm sure that will see us in the top 6 come May.