Hartlepool United set no targets by boss Dave Jones

Pools go into the last eight games of the League Two season with a healthy eight-point gap over second-bottom Newport County and nine over Leyton Orient.

Jones takes his side into this afternoon’s hard assignment at Blackpool insisting they are not safe yet despite three wins in their last five games.

“We are only safe when we’re mathematically safe,” he said.

“I don’t set a target, we just go for what we can.”

The Tangerines are in brilliant form with four wins and four draws in their last eight fixtures.

Pools can’t match that record, but Jones says his team will not be daunted by the trip to the eighth-placed hosts.

“We’ve watched the videos of Blackpool and had our scouts watch them,” he said. “We’ll try to nullify their strengths and impose ours on them.

“We’ll be starting the game with one point and we’ll be looking to make it three

“They are on the fringe of the play-offs so they need the points, as much as we need them, so it should be a good game.”

Jones said he has been knocked out by the backing Pools will receive at Bloomfield Road.

The club have sold 1,440 tickets for the game with the prospect of more Poolies paying at the ground.

Blackpool have slashed ticket prices to away fans to only £5 and, with a large section of home supporters boycotting matches in protest at the running of the club by the owners, the away section will make up almost half the crowd.

“It’s fabulous,” said the manager.

“The more supporters we have the more noise they make.

“If we can turn it into a home game that’ll be fantastic.”