Better - but still not good enough, Pools

If you can't beat ordinary teams at home, you are in trouble, and that's a problem Hartlepool United have had all seaon, underlined in their two results at Victoria Park over the last few days.

After the humiliating 5-0 hammering at home to Coventry on Saturday, the result was the same three dayslater against Oldham - but at least the performance was different.

New boss John Hughes wanted a reaction after getting his feet under the table in his new job, and he got it … up to a point.

Pools played well at times, but threw away a draw which would at least have been better than nothing with yet another handball penalty in the last minute.

Neil Austin had already been sent off by then, Antony Sweeney getting a deserved home equalizer after Jose Baxter scored for Oldham.

It was Baxter who got the late winner, reacting first to slot in after Scott Flinders had saved the penalty.

Pools really are deep in trouble at the foot of the table, so deep that there could be a temptation to start building now for next season in League Two.

But Hughes has hope and he told the Northern Echo: "Tonight we hit the post, had a man sent off and to lose a goal to a handball penalty again - two in two games now - and at that time it doesn't give time you come back.

"We played nice football at times and shot ourselves in the foot with the first goal, but I take responsibility for that for asking the players to pass the ball.

"On Saturday we went one down and heads went down, tonight it happened and we were still galvanised, and competed. We got an equaliser and then it goes against us.''

It was Steve Howard who headed against the post in a Pools performance in which they were clearly under orders to play football rather than just pump the ball forward for the big man.

Hughes has made it clear he wants the team to follow his pattern, and that clearly is to play football from the back, be patient, and work hard.

Whether that will save them remains to be seen – they were to get a result at Walsall on Saturday, it would at least give the whole squad a long overdue lift.

Trouble is, they need more than just a lift.