The better of the chances were created by Hartlepool, with a disallowed goal preventing Pools from collecting all three-points against Mansfield in the nil-nil draw at Victoria Park on Saturday.
Craig Hignett does feel more than enough chances were created to have won the match but the fact Hartlepool weren’t clinical enough proved costly, telling the Official Site.
‘I think we have created enough chances to have won the game. It was a hard-fought game and there wasn`t much between the teams but I think we created more and better chances and if we had been more clinical we would have got three points.’
Defensively Hignett was more than pleased even if he feels we ‘settled for a point’ a little too soon. Protecting what we had is what he feels the players did, and he can understand why they did this, but had they kept pushing that first home win of the season could have been achieved.
He wasn’t disappointed though.
‘If I`m honest, I think we probably settled for a point too early; with twenty minutes left we took our foot off the gas a little and protected it rather than keeping on going. But I can see why the lads have done that because we`ve been drumming in to them about their defensive shape, being disciplined and keeping a clean sheet – and they`ve done that so I have got be happy with them defensively.’
He concluded he was obviously disappointed not to win but would settle for the point.
‘We had good chances in the second half with Billy Paynter and Josh Laurent, and Padraig Amond had a header so we`re disappointed not to be winning but we`ll take a point.’
Hignett predictably taking the positives and readily dismissing yet another disappointing result against what was a very poor Mansfield side on the day. Two priceless points dropped that he may well rue in the fullness of time. Never mind, there are six points up for grabs against Plymouth and Luton eh?