Hartlepool played host to Worthing in the National League on Saturday evening, and the visitors ran out 3:1 winners at The Prestige Group. The result extends Worthing's unbeaten run while Hartlepool have not won since their opening day victory against Woking. Both sides came into the fixture with contrasting form, and the visitors proved more clinical when it mattered.
C. Adjetey-Brew gave Hartlepool the lead in the thirty-fifth minute, capitalising on a defensive lapse to slot home. The hosts pressed forward after that, but Worthing responded with discipline. J. Wadham and D. Hutchinson picked up yellow cards in the first half, while Hartlepool's own C. John received a booking in the twenty-seventh.
The second half opened with Worthing equalising through R. Aguiar in the fifty-ninth minute, and the momentum shifted. Hartlepool made changes at the break, bringing on D. Hutchinson, but the visitors had already turned it on. Worthing pushed again, and after a series of substitutions from both sides, the game opened up.
W. Harris restored Worthing's advantage in the seventy-seventh minute, and J. Marquez added a third in stoppage time. Hartlepool had dominated possession and attacks but could not convert their chances. The away end never stopped after the second goal, and the home side looked tired by the final whistle.
Statistics tell a story of control without conversion. Hartlepool registered 150 attacks to Worthing's 117, yet the visitors hit the target more frequently with eight shots on target against six. Both sides shared possession evenly at 50 per cent, and the difference came down to efficiency. Hartlepool's six shots on target produced only one goal, while Worthing's eight yielded three.
The result leaves Hartlepool in nineteenth place with nine points from nine games, while Worthing climb to eleventh with fourteen points. The gap between them widens, and Hartlepool have yet to secure a point since their opening day. Worthing's away record shows improvement, and this victory puts them within striking distance of the play-off positions.
