On-loan Sunderland star nets hat-trick for Hartlepool
On-loan Sunderland striker Roy O'Donovan broke his Hartlepool United duck in perfect fashion, writes CHRIS YOUNG.
Man-of-the-match O'Donovan rocked former club Southend on Saturday with a clinical hat-trick which earned Pools three crucial points in the battle for League One survival.
O'Donovan was thrilled, despite thinking he "was only a bit-part player" in the 3-0 success against the club he had a short stint with on loan earlier this season.
The 24-year-old said: "Obviously I know I'm under pressure to make an impact and I'm delighted it went well.
"I have to keep it going now and that's the important part.
"I've seen it before in this game when you have two or three bad games and you're out the side. That happened to me at Southend. I want to make sure I'm doing everything I can to stay in the team.
"If everyone does their job right, we should be able to push ourselves up the table."
Instead of taking all the plaudits himself, the Irishman was quick to point out the contributions played by Adam Boyd and substitute Denis Behan in his three goals.
O'Donovan said: "I know I'm going to get all the headlines, but I thought I was only a bit-part player. Since I've come here, the other strikers have been excellent."
O'Donovan latched onto Boyd's inch-perfect slide-rule pass for the first before beating the offside trap to another Boyd through-ball for his second.
The former Cork City striker completed his hat-trick in stoppage time when he fired Behan's lay-off inside the near post.
O'Donovan said: "It was a great ball for the first. Boydy has got a great touch, very clever, and the weight of pass made my job so much easier.
"For the second, I saw Ritchie Jones was offside and I could see the two centre-halves were looking at him. I just sprinted in there and I was delighted to take my time and roll it into the back of the net.
"It was a great ball again for the third. I was dead on my feet by then and just swinging at things. Physically I was gone.
"I'm delighted it went in and it was just one of those days where everything goes right for you."
O'Donovan spent a month on loan at Southend earlier this season when he scored just once in five games – his only previous goal in English football.
But he has no spite towards the Shrimpers who are in the High Court tomorrow over a dispute with HM Revenue and Customs.
"Obviously I was up for the game because of the way it went at Southend," he said.
"I don't like the way they are suffering because there are great lads there and it's a good club.
"I hope they pull through, but, from a Hartlepool point of view, we needed those three points badly. I don't think it's a cushion until you get to May.
"But it's nice to pull away a bit and keep away from danger."
HARTLEPOOL: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Liddle, Hartley, Jones (Brown 62), Sweeney, Gamble (Humphreys 69), Monkhouse, O'Donovan, Boyd (Behan 79). Subs: Cook, McSweeney, Haslam, Bjornsson. Booked: Sweeney. Goals: O'Donovan 16, 32, 90
SOUTHEND: Mildenhall, Francis, Baldwin, Mvoto (Malone 46), Barrett, Laurent, McCormack, Moussa, Scannell, Paterson (Spencer 72), Vernon. Subs: Jack, Sankofa, Herd, Crawford. Sent off: McCormack (82). Booked: McCormack
Att: 3,299. Ref: J Waugh (Sheffield)
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Tuesday 07 February 2012
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