Matthew Bates eyes rub of the green as Pools eye first National League win

Pools head into their fourth game of the National League season looking for their opening win.
And Bates, while remaining calm, is desperate for his side get up and running with three points at Cressing Road.

“It’s a game of fine margins,” said Bates.

“We had a lot of chances. Didn’t convert them. We need to take them.

“It needs to hurt when we miss.

“We had chances. Yes, they have, too. But we should be two or three up before we fall behind.

“That’s football.

“It swings in roundabouts. I am sure we will have games where we take all three points and don’t dominate things.

“We imposed our style. We didn’t allow them to play the way they wanted to.

“But it is in both boxes where you win the money.”

Pools may be on the road this evening but it’s home form which will be crucial for Pools in the National League this season, according to Bates.

He says there’s no sign of the anxiety of seasons gone by.

“It’s only two home games in, but we haven’t won either,” he said.

The performances have been good and home form will, I have no doubt and the players do too, be a lot, lot better this season.

“The players know deep down when they have done well and also when they have been hard done by and they were here.

“Supporters will, I understand, go home thinking ‘here we go again’ but that’s not the case.

“There’s no anxiety at home this year, I don’t feel it when there was a bit of it last season. I felt it a bit when Andrew (Davies) went off, but that’s only natural.”

On the injury front Davies is out of the clash with an ankle injury.

The skipper hobbled off half way through the Ebbsfleet defeat and will be assessed in the coming days, once the swelling has subsided.