Hartlepool boss Craig Hignett makes players watch video nasties

The gaffer booked his side in for an hour-long video session at the club’s Maiden Castle training base yesterday.

Every error and every mistake was highlighted on the big screen, and pored over for all of the squad and the coaching staff to see.

The main focus of this is to make Pools players feel uncomfortable, because Hignett says the defensive show at Carlisle was nowhere near good enough.

“When you look at the goals we have conceded from set-pieces it is criminal. We have to stop it,” said the gaffer.

“It is OK telling someone, then spending 45 minutes on the training pitch showing them. But sometimes you have to do more than that.

“That is why we are doing a video session. We want the players to see exactly what has gone wrong.

“If the players do their jobs. If they are professional. And don’t get carried away with doing something silly in the heat of battle we will be OK.

“The last set of games we have only conceded two from open play. So the defence is not an area that concerns me but we do need to have a look at it.”

On the injury front, Hignett will still be without the services of Matthew Bates and Rob Jones yet again.

But Nicky Featherstone does return from suspension, though.

On the injured duo, the news is a little more positive than it looked at the start of the week. Hignett said: “They are still in their treatment.

“They are both outside and running it is just a case of getting fit now because they have missed a lot of football and not done a lot of training.

“Hopefully it won’t be too long for them now. The experience bit is what we lack.

“We have a talented group of young players at this club. They haven’t played a lot of games together as a group. And I think that shows at times.

“Getting some experience back will help in that department.”