Hartlepool United boss Craig Hignett confident results will come

And while Pools failed to break their five-month winless duck at the Vic with a goalless draw with Mansfield at the weekend, the gaffer says there were enough positive signs to suggest the victory on home turf is just around the corner.

“We want to win at home, to make it a fortress and we’ve not been beaten today,” said Hignett, whose side are yet to win at home since the 2-1 victory over York City on April 16 last season.

“The performances are the big thing, though.

“We’ve not won at home, but really it doesn’t bother me.

“We should have won this one but it was not to be.

”Newport and today and first game of the season are all ones we could have won. In those games we have been the one most likely to win it.

“We have taken good steps after losing at Stevenage.

“Home wins will come and we aren’t a million miles away.”

The Pools manager thinks his side, who now sit 17th on 10 points after eight games in League Two, were the more adventurous of the sides on Saturday.

And he thinks had the likes of Billy Paynter and Josh Laurent not been so wasteful in front of goal, both of whom missed excellent opportunities, Pools would have ran out comfortable winners.

“We played some good stuff. We were the team pressing who looked like we had a lot of quality. We created enough chances to win the game. That was the pleasing thing.

“Mansfield put us under pressure and if you don’t match that then you won’t get the better of them and you will lose and we did that. If there was one team going to win the game it was going to be us.”

The best chance fell to Paynter, who saw his effort fly over the Stags’ bar. But his own high standards, it was one the striker usually always sticks away.

On the chance, Hignett said: “Billy said he tried to dink it, but it’s come off his foot like a rocket.

“To clear the bar from where he was was amazing, but he will get loads of goals like that. He will keep going.”

Hignett was delighted with the discipline shown by his side in the stalemate.

He was also full of praise for the determination shown by his players on the day.

But one thing he was critical of was his side’s decision making in the final third.

“Our discipline, organisation and determination was good,” he said.

“We looked like we were up for it, and we showed little bits of quality.

“In the final third we needed a bit more care and concentration, with a pass or a shot or a cross. We didn’t show enough care in the last third, although we did create four or five excellent chances.”