Lack of experience proving costly for Hartlepool United - Craig Harrison

The Pools manager was left frustrated yet again as his side let two leads slip at home to fellow mid-table National League outfit Gateshead.

And without the likes of Carl Magnay, who could return this weekend at Dagenham and Redbridge, and Nicky Featherstone, who is understood to be a bit further away from getting back in the first-team selection pool, Pools lack leaders.

And Harrison says that was noticeable in the way his side naively let Heed back in yesterday, even though they appeared to be in total control.

“A bit of game management costs us,” said Harrison.

“It frustrated the life out of me, it’s gone beyond anger at the moment because it keeps happening again and again.

“We lost a bit of shape, by getting caught between a rock and a hard place.

“It’s happened that many times when we haven’t got a two-goal lead. We were caught today when the players were stuck between being keen to 3-1 and they ended up leaving it open, or see the game out and get men behind the ball.

“The frustrating thing is we did that at Gateshead with ten men and defended for our lives.

“The truth is we are missing some experienced midifelders - the likes of Feaths.”