'˜What doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger' - Craig Harrison sticks to his positive mantra, despite Hartlepool United's recent struggles

Pools have picked up just one point out of a possible 15 in the fifth tier of late, a run which has seen them slide down the division.

But Harrison thinks issues can have a galvanising impact on his Pools players moving forward.

He said: “I am a big believer in the idea that what doesn’t kill you, only makes you stronger.

“And I think recent events have been character building. Not just for me as a manager, but also for the players as well.

“You start to wonder what you have done to deserve the kind of luck we have had with injuries lately. You set up all week to get through a game and then you’re hit with two pull outs in the warm up.

“I’m big enough to accept decisions go against you, but believe in a plan and go with it. We did that.

“With pace out wide we knew we could hurt them. The plan was to allow their defenders to have the ball and attack them from wide. It worked. They had possession but didn’t have many chances in a game when they had an extra man.

“The belief was pleasing that we still went to win it. We didn’t want the players to change the plan, but I believe we have to stick with it and no go gung-ho. We created opportunities.

“Our leveller was a reward and it was a travesty if we lost it at the end. They weren’t better than us.”