Hartlepool

Football is a cruel business. So I'm sparing a thought this evening for the fans of Hartlepool United. They had to win against Doncaster and hope that Newport County failed to beat Notts County to stay in the Football League. 18 year old Devante Rodney scored his first career goals in the 74th and 83rd minutes to give Hartlepool an unlikely lead. Both were superbly taken particularly under the circumstances. Six minutes later, Mark O'Brien scored for Newport to keep them up instead. The margin between success and failure has seldom been so narrow. It was tremendous to watch and one of the many examples of why so many of us are invested in the agony and the ecstasy of this stupid sport.

 It's a blow for football in the north east and for everyone involved in the club, including Soccer Saturday's Jeff Stelling. Sunderland dropping out of the top flight is one thing, to lose your status as a league club is quite another. I wish Hartlepool all the best and hope that they can bounce back.

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