Wycombe Wanderers 0-1 Hartlepool United: Mark Cullen goal sends League Two side through
- Published
Wycombe were made to pay for a host of missed chances as Mark Cullen's first-half strike was enough to send League Two side Hartlepool into the second round of the FA Cup.
Cullen had opened the scoring in the original tie and repeated the feat midway through the first half, curling the ball past David Stockdale from inside the area.
Wycombe should have been level early in the second half but Adebayo Akinfenwa could only head over after Sam Vokes' header bounced off a post.
Pools goalkeeper Ben Killip then had to keep out a Joe Jacobson free-kick as the chances began to mount.
Vokes headed over the crossbar and minutes later saw a fierce shot from range cannon off the base of a post.
The best chance for Wycombe came in stoppage time, with David Wheeler's piledriver bouncing off a post and ricocheting away - and despite keeper Stockdale coming up for the resulting corner, they could not find a late equaliser.
Hartlepool will be away to Lincoln City in the second round.
Wycombe manager Gareth Ainsworth:
"We've had chances and really there's little threat from them, just two shots that were worrying and one of them went in.
"That's the game sometimes. The only thing we can do now is focus on Bolton on Sunday.
"At some stage somebody is going to take a beating off us, these chances are going to go in. These opportunities that are coming will get scored.
"I'm gutted for the boys, they're an unbelievable bunch and I have total belief in them."
Hartlepool caretaker boss Antony Sweeney:
"This is a really difficult place to come. We always knew we would have to ride our luck a lot, probably a bit too much for our liking.
"We would have liked a bit more in possession, but we can't match what Wycombe do.
"We don't have the players, we haven't got the height and physicality, so we needed to match what they were going to bring in certain aspects and then try and play a game of cup football.
"Mark Cullen is in good form. He's had to be patient, he's been banging the door down for a chance and he's been absolutely fantastic."
Report supplied by PA Media.