Harrogate Town 4 Hartlepool United 1: Jack Muldoon plays down eye-catching solo effort

Jack Muldoon celebrates after scoring his second and Harrogate Town's fourth goal against Hartlepool United. Picture: Matt Kirkham

Having already converted a 58th-minute penalty, the 30-year-old took his season’s tally to nine and wrapped up a 4-1 success with a delightful stoppage-time finish.

Picking the ball up inside his own half after a Pools corner was cleared, he spun two visiting defenders then showed impressive pace and strength to run away from them and all the way to the edge of the box before delicately chipping the advancing United goalkeeper.

“The first one was obviously a penalty, the second I managed to get the ball near the edge of our box and I think Jack Emmett did a bit of an NFL block on their kid, and I found myself one-on-one with their keeper," Muldoon said.

"I was on a bit of an angle and when it started closing up I just thought 'he's coming a bit too far out of his goal', so I just chipped it over him.

"It was the 91st minute, but we train for this every day, we're full-time professionals, so that's just what I've got to do.

"It's just what I've got, that's what I bring to the party - pace and energy. That's what's in my locker."

While Muldoon's first of the game was a penalty, Town don't have the best record from 12 yards and have indeed missed seven of their last 12 spot-kicks.

Muldoon himself was responsible for a couple of those, but has now been successful on three consecutive occasions and says he will never shy away from the responsibility.

"I was comfortable with the penalty," he added.

"I think there's a bit more pressure [when the team has missed a few] but I've always liked being the person to be relied upon in the teams I've played for in the past and I've always excelled with that sort of pressure.

"I felt fine. I've got no conscience about missing a penalty.

"I didn't want to go the same way for the third time, which has done me a favour because he [Ben Killip, Hartlepool's goalkeeper] has come to me after the game and asked me why I went the other way. Obviously he was doing his homework on me, so it's a good job I did go that way.

"I did strike it quite nicely, but when it starts going towards the bar you're just thinking 'please go under' and obviously this time it did."