22-07-06: Hartlepool United (a) 1-2 (HT 0-1) Crowd (2,912)

Michael James (Mickey) Barron was born in Chester-le-Street, Co. Durham on 22nd December 1974. Standing 5'11" and weighing 11st 9lb he started his football career at Middlesbrough, signing professional on 2nd February 1993. He was unable to break into the Boro first team and on 6th September 1996 he was loaned to Hartlepool United for three months, during which time he made sixteen starts in their League games. After just two League starts and one from the substitutes bench in the League and one start in the League Cup together with three starts and three games from the bench in other games he left the Riverside at the end of the 1996-97 seaon and was signed by Hartlepool on 1st August 1997. A Right Back or Cental Defender he became a regular at Victoria Park and also the club captain, finally retiring at the end of the 2007-08 season by which time he had scored three League goals in three hundred and twenty-one appearances, of which ten were as a substitute, since signing permanently for the Monkey-hangers. He also scored once in the F.A. Cup in thirteen starts and one game from the bench, and played a further nine games in the League Cup, one as a substitute and made seventeen starts in other games. Barron was Player of the Year for two successive seasons from 1998 to 2000. After ten years with the club a series of events were held including a testimonial dinner with Bobby Robson as guest speaker. A testimonal game, against Leeds United which Hartlepool won 2-1, was also held. After he retired he took on coaching roles with the club and later became Assistant Manager to Mick Wadsworth whilst undertaking the role of reserve team coach and John Hewitson took over Barron's previous role of youth team coach. He became caretaker Manager on 6th December 2011 after Wadsworth was sacked but handed the reins back to Neale Cooper who was appointed Manager on 28th December 2011, and reverted to reserve team coach. Neale Cooper resigned as Hartlepool manager on 24th October 2012 and Barron once more became Caretaker Manager until a new manager was appointed.

Programme, Teamsheet:

There was a good performance from steve Stone as the former Portsmouth, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest winger showed that at thirty-five and a long lay-off from injury, that he had not lost his skill and with Gary Kelly he formed United's main source of danger down the right flank. Kevin Blackwell gave a chance to David Livermore on the left flank after his £400,000 signing from Millwall, but his was a steady, if not spectacular start. A similar comment could describe the performance of Robbie Elliott who was on trial after not re-signing for Newcastle United. There was a chance also for another trialist, Mark Fotheringham, a twenty-two year-old midfielder with experience at Dundee and Celtic and he impressed in tandem with Eirik Bakke and set up the Leeds goal. He also showed a willingness to "get stuck in". Graham Laws of Whitley Bay was the Referee in front of a crowd of 2,912, and despite the humidity the game was played at a lively pace and was a good contest for the first seventy minutes. It was Leeds that dominated the opening proceedings, playing neat football and impressing with their passing and movement. Strikers David Healy and Robbie Blake linked up well but unfortunately there was no end product. David Healy made a good turn and shot from just outside the box in the fourteenth minute but another fifteen minutes had elapsed before a Robbie Elliott volley was straight at the keeperafter a Gary Kelly cross had found him in space. In the meantime the home side had taken the lead after fifteen minutes, when Leeds old boy, Mark Tinkler, found James Brown with a cross and the youngster placed the ball wide of Neil Sullivan into the right hand corner of the net from eight yards for the only goal of the first half. Leeds sent on Jermaine Beckford after half-time in place of Robbie Blake, but it was David Healy who almost equalized in the fifty-first minute when he got in a superbly directed header from fifteen yards from a Gary Kelly cross, only to see the home keeper, Dimi Konstantopoulos, make a stunning save as he dived to low to his left. Four minutes later Leeds fell further behind when for Sheffield Wednesday striker, Ritchie Humphreys, took a free-kick and found the head of James Brown at the far post for the youngster to collect his second goal. It prompted Leeds into life and five minutes later when Robbie Elliott released Mark Fotheringham down the left and the Scotsman's cross was no handled well by the home keeper and it fell to Steve Stone in a crowdede penalty area, but he kept his nerve and picked his spot to score on the hour. Kevin Blackwell sent on Sean Gregan for Paul Butler and Hartlepools responded by replacing James Brown with Michael Maidens. The game started to lose some of its impetus and after seventy-three minutes Joel Griffiths replaced Mark Fotheringham and two minutes later Eifion Williams replaced Joel Porter for the home side. United made their final change in the seventy-eighth minute as Frazer Richardson took over from David Livermore, leaving Ian Bennett and Ben Parker unused, and a minute later Gavin Strachan, son of Gordon Strachan and former Leeds Junior took over from another Leeds old boy in Mark Tinkler. Leeds should have equalized with nine minutes to go, when Frazer Richardson found Steve Stone and his cross from the right was met by the head of Joel Griffiths but he headed wide from six yards. Hartlepools immediately brought on Lee Bullock for Antony Sweeney and with five minutes left on the clock David Foley replaced Adam Boyd and two minutes later John Brackstone replaced Michael Barron, leaving goalkeeper Jim Provett unused. A minute before the end Dimi Konstantopoulos saved the day for the home side when he acrobatically tipped the ball over the bar from a twenty-yard thunderbolt from Robbie Elliott.