Hartlepool United 0 Huddersfield Town 0: Huddersfield held in another stalemate

Lee Clark’s team were largely outplayed by their hosts and could have harboured few complaints if they had lost.

There were also cries of “you don’t know what you are doing” among the near 600 visiting fans when Clark substituted striker Lee Novak.

Town started slowly and failed to create a chance until the half hour.

Even then Hartlepool old boy Tommy Miller blazed wildly over after a neat move involving fellow midfielder Oscar Gobern and left-back Gary Naysmith.

Not that the home side were any more productive in the opening period as their pretty passing failed to seriously trouble goalkeeper Ian Bennett.

They eventually came close on 54 minutes when Bennett made his first meaningful save by holding Colin Larkin’s low drive.

Even the arrival of last season’s top scorer, Jordan Rhodes, failed to stem the home tide and Town were lucky not to concede on 67 minutes when striker Colin Nish shot meekly wide from six yards out.

The visitors finally threatened in the last 15 minutes when Scott Flinders palmed away a dangerous Donal McDermott cross before former Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Miller shot narrowly past the post.

Hartlepool: Flinders, Austin, Collins, Hartley, Horwood; Poole (Brown 70), Humphreys, Murray (Haslam 80), Monkhouse; Nish (Boyd 78), Larkin.

Huddersfield: Bennett, Hunt, McCombe, Clarke P, Naysmith; Ward (Rhodes 54), Gobern, Arfield, Miller, Roberts; Novak (McDermott 70).

Referee: G Sutton (Lincolnshire).