League goal number 16 (his second of the night) made striker Kris Dennis the division’s joint top scorer as he continues to get himself into the right place at the right time with this impressive run of form.
The experienced forward is in one of those places where it looks like he’s going to score every time he takes to the pitch, and he received more praise from manager Paul Simpson after the Hartlepool game for the way he goes about his business.
“He’s just one of those who knows where to go,” he said. “He’s a striker, a proven striker. I remember watching him at Chesterfield when my son Jake was working with him, he was a goalscorer that season.
“I’ve said this before but he’s getting the rewards for the summer that he had, where he looked after himself and came back in good shape. I told them all at the end of the season that I expected them to be fitter, and stronger, and in better physical shape than they were last season, because otherwise they weren’t going to be able to cope.
“Denno looked after himself in the summer, we still have to keep managing him now, making sure he’s right, but he’s getting his rewards because of how he’s going about things.”
His first on the night was a study in keeping calm and making sure you put the ball where you want it to go.
“It was just calmness to be able to do that,” he agreed. “I’ve said to him at the end of the game that I wanted him to stay on and get his hat-trick, but he said no, I had my chance and I blew it. I can’t argue with that, he did.
“He’s a proper goalscorer, he knows what he’s doing, and I hope he continues. We keep talking about his achievements this season and to have got as many goals as he has this season, at this stage, is beyond good.
“He’s now got competition with Joe Garner in the building, and Omari fit, and they’re wanting to do their bit as well. I want pressure on all of the players to keep performing and the pleasing thing for me is that tonight there’s a reflection of how the group has trained since we got the new additions in.
“I can tell you that Joe, Alfie McCalmont, Jack Robinson and JK Gordon are all pushing standards up just by being here and in the way they go about things. It’s making people work that little bit harder.”
The predatory forward’s second of the night was a rekindling of the partnership with Owen Moxon that was so clinical at the start of the campaign.
“That goal was an excellent piece of football,” he told us. “Mox said to me that his cross for that goal made up for the mistake, and I told him that no, that definitely wasn’t the case.
“What a brilliant delivery though. We can talk about the mistake in the first half but it’s probably the first one he’s made this season, since he joined us in the summer, so we probably have to give him one.
“Great goals, good team goals, good work from everybody and a great attitude to get a big win. It was just an invitation of a ball to get on the end of it.
“It was a brilliant delivery and as ever Denno was there to put it over the line. Mox showed character because he didn’t hide away after his mistake, he kept looking to do good things. Like I say, I do think that’s his first mistake, so we have to give him that leeway for that and hope he doesn’t make any more.”
All strikers set out to hit 20 for the season from day one, and with that well within reach the manager hinted that other targets should also be in the sights.
“I hope so, hopefully over these next three or four games he can get up to 20 and then he can look to try and get 25,” he commented. “He has to keep setting those targets.
“We’ve never spoke to him about it but as a goalscorer I know he’ll want more. He was disappointed he didn’t get that third one tonight, he had two chances at it, but we’ve got to keep him right, keep going.
“He’s got real good competition now with Joe Garner in the building and Omari fit again. It’s good we’ve got those options.”
