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Pools won the game at Prenton Park 1-0 via a Neil Austin goal from a neat follow up as Simon Walton’s penalty was parried back out into the box. Luke James put his usual 110% effort in, terrorising Tranmere’s defence and creating a number of opportunities. He was subbed off towards the end of the game to a standing ovation from the whole ground, Tranmere and Hartlepool fans applauding James off after an impressive performance. Then came the game against Brentford at Victoria Park in a game which meant nothing to Hartlepool but meant promotion for Brentford if they won. Pools took the lead in the first 2o minutes when Luke James scored and once again impressed everyone in the stadium.
Facebook and Twitter went crazy for Luke. Fans across the country were telling their clubs to sign Luke James from Hartlepool. This was the start of the plaudits he undoubtedly deserved. Pools ended the season with a 2-2 draw at Crawley Town in which Luke James set up one of Andy Monkhouse’s goals to draw the teams level. He made 25 league appearances and again scored thre goals. He also picked up the League One Apprentice of the Year Award in March 2013 at The Football League Awards andattracted more interest from Championship and League One clubs. In May, John Hughes and Micky Barron had their contracts terminated by mutual consent and the Monkey Hangers brought in Colin Cooper and Craig Hignett.
Cooper, 46, was Middlesbrough’s youth coach prior to taking the Hartlepool job and was linked with the job when his namesake Neale Cooper resigned in October 2012. Pools started off slowly to life in League Two in a 3-0 defeat to Rochdale on the opening day, in which James didn’t start. Hartlepool went on a terrible run of form in which they barely scored, but that run emphatically ended in September when Hartlepool thumped Bradford 5-0 in the Johnstones Paint Trophy, James scoring the first with a cool header from close range. Finally, we had scored a goal!
Luke James continued his good form, scoring both goals as Pools drew 2-2 against Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium. Seven days later, he scored in a 2-1 defeat to Oxford United. A great addition to his consistent hard working performances as he certainly deserved the goals. After the Oxford disappointment, Pools beat Mansfield Town 4-1 at The OneCall Stadium in a shocking win, Pools ending their bad run of form. Luke was back on the scoresheet the next week in a 3-0 win at Exeter City when he scored a cheeky chip over the goalkeeper after an outstanding ball from winger Jack Compton.
Pools then had Plymouth Argyle at home, a game where Pools were on the back-foot for most of the game after Jack Compton was dismissed for a stupid lunge on Plymouth’s Jamie Reckford. Pools needed inspiration and a hero on the pitch to help them win the game. Up stepped Luke. He dragged two defenders along with him and found his way into the 18 yard box to slot a cool finish home. James’ goal was compared to Michael Owen’s against Argentina in 1998, which is a brilliant compliment if you’re a budding goalscorer.
Luke James is now the name on everyone’s lips in League Two at the moment. Adrian Durham from talkSPORT has been raving about him and Jeff Stelling has since made a lot of Luke James references in his tweets on the social networking site Twitter, which shows he’s evidently a fan of James.
I’ve always been a fan of the youngster. I see him as that special player that can be the catalyst in a game and help you win games. I laugh at fellow Pools fans when they brand him as ‘over-rated’ as I think he is genuinely what we’ve lacked in recent years at Hartlepool United. A prolific goalscorer. Yes, his finishing may need some work and he may need to hit the gym a bit but he’s still young. His movement, heading, jumping and determination is all second-to-none and what makes him a brilliant striker, he’s the closest we’ve had to Pools legend Joel Porter we’ve had in years and he earns praise from his fellow team-mates everyday, so it’s clear to see how much he’s liked and how good his team-mates see him. I think the interest from better clubs than us is good to see and I hope that can motivate him to keep impressing and keep scoring many goals.
