Hartlepool United manager Lennie Lawrence boldly backed York City to lift the National League title after his side suffered a 5-3 defeat on Saturday.
After Lawrence was rewarded with the permanent Hartlepool managerial position last week, his first match in the role ended in an action-packed match that saw York come out victorious against their National League rivals.
Lawrence, who has previous experience of managing the likes of Plymouth Argyle, Luton Town and Cardiff City, was impressed by Adam Hinshelwood’s side, and believes that the Minstermen will go on to lift the National League title come May.
“You can’t take too much out of this, because they are on their way,” Lawrence told BBC Radio Tees.
“They’re going to win this league, I’m pretty sure, having seen Barnet.
“You never know, but it does seem like they are favourites at this particular time.
“Any lessons you learn have got to be heeded with that in mind. You’re dealing with a top team, you’re not dealing with a run of the mill National League team.
“The first thing that we have got to do is beat run of the mill National League teams and get in the top half of the table.
“Are we short of the standard that York have set? Yes, of course we are.
“We’ll probably continue to be for the rest of the season, but our job is to get wins against routine National League teams and climb the league.
“I’m sorry that we couldn’t get a better result, they were better than us, but I don’t think the players in anyway disgraced themselves or the fans or let them down.
“It was just that we were beaten by the better team, and like I say, unfortunately if you have any chinks in your armour, it will be exposed when you play against a team like that.”
Lawrence also discussed how his players responded from the setbacks of York’s clinical nature in front of goal, which saw Hartlepool succumb to a two goal deficit by half-time.
The Pools manager was disappointed by the manner of some of the goals his side allowed City to score, in particular Dipo Akinyemi’s header, but had pride in the account the visitors gave of themselves.
Lawrence continued: “At the end of the day, the players applied themselves from those setbacks, they applied themselves reasonably well, we played some good stuff – but in the end, games are won and lost in penalty areas. That’s a fact.
“We scored three goals but were always from a position of chasing the game, and you aren’t going to get a result at a place like this if you let five in.
“It’s as simple as that, the nature of one or two of those goals was disappointing, to say the least.
“The players kept going, there was no shame or disgrace in it, we were just beaten by the better team on the day.
“It owed a lot to the quality of the players that we were playing against, but also in the way we have been recently, it was a bit disappointing.
“A penalty, okay, the direct free-kick, I haven’t had a look at that yet, the corner is disappointing because it’s a first contact and he’s come in unchallenged and scored.
“Those are things that we don’t usually exhibit. In a game like this, where you’re playing against a top team in this league like that, any little weaknesses you are going to get exposed.”
Hartlepool did look likely to draw the game level during a period of domination in the second-half, after former City defender David Ferguson had halved the deficit.
Lawrence felt that the game could have swung in their favour had they found that equaliser and had capitalised on that momentum, but believed that the timing of York’s goals squashed any hope of taking something from the match at the LNER Community Stadium.
“By setting out the way that we did in the second-half, we were gambling that we could get back in it.
“If you don’t, and there were opportunities to get back into it and we can get back to 2-2, the momentum of the game changes completely.
“But we didn’t, there’s always the danger that you will get caught on the break because they have dangers and they have skill, that’s what happened.
“After Fergy’s, if we had scored again and made it 2-2, who knows what might have happened.
“It didn’t, and then at 3-1 you’re chasing the game again.
“It didn’t happen and we kept trying, three goals is great away from home but you aren’t going to get anything if you let in five.”
