Hartlepool United trail Accrington Stanley 2-1 at half time in their League Two clash at the Store First Stadium this evening.

The away side threatened to take the lead through Michael Duckworth on six minutes, but Accrington Stanley's on-loan Fulham goalkeeper Jesse Joronen saw the defender's effort sail just wide of goal.

Sean Maguire's left-footed shot from outside the box was well blocked on the quarter-hour mark, before Shay McCartan gave his side the lead on 19 minutes when he collected the ball on the edge of the area and fired a powerful strike into the top right corner.

Michael Woods brought a good save from Joronen on the half-hour mark as Hartlepool looked for a way back into the game, and the away side had their equaliser when Matthew Bates rose highest to nod home Ryan Brobbel's cross.

Robert Atkinson restored Accrington's advantage when he headed home in first-half stoppage time.