Pools desperate for win in rearranged game

Hartlepool fans are likely to vote with their feet when Southend visit Victoria Park on Tuesday night, and while the stands probably won't be as empty as in our picture, they are not going to be packed either after Friday's home surrender against Cheltenham. In fact, Pools will only attract the diehards until they get things right on the pitch.

Manager Danny Wilson said Friday's rock-bottom show against a side with an awful away record was the last straw, and now it's up to him to prove it.
He was angry with the way the team defended and says he will make changes for the rearranged Southend match.
There's no doubt an improvement is needed if Pools are to prevent Southend from producing anotgher result like their coasting 4-1 win at Bournemouth at the weekend.
While Wilson wasn't happy with the defence, most fans would expect changes in attack, where Joel Porter's chance is surely long overdue. The Aussie striker has a Pools pedigree for scoring goals, and he deserves a chance to redicsover his touch in front of goal.
In the absence (so far) of any new signings, players like Matty Robson (left), Michael Mackay and David Foley will also probably be considered in an effort to add some spark and pace to the attack, even though Ian Moore was one of the better performers on Friday.
But what Wilson can do about the defence is more of a puzzle.
Eddie Nolan's two-month loan from Blackburn has ended and it appears there has been no attempt to extend it further, so somebody has to come in at right-back - perhaps Jamie McCunnie will be goven a chance to settle in there instead of being shifted to midfield as soon as he looks like being able to do something.
Ben Clark looked all right when he returned against Cheltenham, while Robbie Elliott was subbed early in the second half and Richie Humphreys dropped back to left-back.
That leaves Wilson with a big decision to make - is it time to leave Michael Nelson out? The defender hasn't been at his best this season and his slip that gave Cheltenham their first goal on Friday mnight not have been as bad as Titus Bramble's, but it wasn't far off, and it wasn;t his first costly error this season.
Perhaps Wilson will consider playing Clark and Godwin Antwi together in the middle of the defence for the first time.
But whoever he plays, anything less than a win against a team bang in form will start a Pools panic amongst the fans.