Hartlepool won back to back games for the first time this season - and the Butler did it! Tommy Butler was the match-winner at Port Vale to make it six points from six after beating MK Dons the week before. Now they are desperate to make it a hat-trick of victories when former boss Neale Cooper brings Gillingham to Victoria Park on Tuesday night. Pools are now starting to show what they are capable of, and this was a solid and encouraging 90-minute display. They started brightly in the first half and took the lead through Eifion Williams, before Butler's goal regained the lead after Michael Cummins equalised. "It was a very pleasing performance and a very pleasing result," said boss Martin Scott. "I think we have showed what we can do in patches this season, but this time we kept it up. "The winner was a great strike - Tommy Butler has been threatening that for a long time now. He had been getting a little bit frustrated because he hadn't scored." Pools created plenty of early chances as they began in confident mood. Butler's driving run ended with him laying the ball off to Jon Daly and his shot was pushed out by keeper Mark Goodlad. Chris Llewellyn maintained his impressive run of form and steered a volleyed pass into the path of Anthony Sweeney, but the midfielder hesitated and the chance was lost. But Pools soon took the lead. A deep Ritchie Humphreys cross was headed at goal by Daly and Williams turned the ball in from close range with his head. It should quickly have been 2-0. Goalscorer Williams fed the advancing Sweeney in acres of space and his low volley from 15 yards clipped the outside of the post and went out of play. Butler then cut a path into the area and his close-range effort was blocked on the line. Sweeney and Daly both tried to force in the rebound, but were crowded out. Vale's first real scoring chance, after Pools had created plenty, came when Micky Bell's free-kick was blocked but eventually found Mulligan. The striker looked a certain scorer, before a well-timed sliding tackle from Neill Collins, on loan from Sunderland, won the ball. But Vale levelled when Cummins' header was pushed out by Konstantopoulos, only for the midfielder to react quickest to push it over the line. After a quiet start to the second half, Pools regained the lead. Butler collected possession just inside the Vale half and raced to the edge of the area. After skipping three challenges on the edge of the box he shot at goal. Goodlad pushed the ball up and it bounced back into play, but only after hitting the stanchion inside the net and the assistant flagged. Konstantopoulos had to tip over a goalbound James volley from 12 yards. And the keeper was at it again in the last minute, keeping out Paynter's header. | 
