Alex Reid talks up Hartlepool United's National League play-off prospects
Hartlepool United striker Alex Reid is confident Pools can sneak into the National League play-off places this season.
The 30-year-old scored for the second time in as many games as Pools took a big step towards the top seven by beating promotion-chasing Carlisle United on Wednesday night.
Following a frustrating run of four games without scoring, the experienced frontman has found the net twice in his last two Pools appearances, bagging his side's first goal during the remarkable comeback win over Solihull Moors before firing home a fine effort against big-spending Carlisle.
If Pools are to sneak into the play-offs this season, then they'll need Reid to continue his excellent recent scoring form.
Having lost the prolific and hugely popular Mani Dieseruvwe, who found the net 43 times in 89 games at Victoria Park, to Rochdale over the summer, Pools moved to sign Reid and Danny Johnson in a bid to replace their departing talisman.
Although Reid has made a decent enough start to life in the North East, scoring nine goals in 29 league games despite often being starved of service in an unfamiliar lone striker role, Johnson could hardly have endured a worse first season at Victoria Park and is without a goal in any of his first 30 Pools appearances; indeed, the 32-year-old was left out of the matchday squad altogether ahead of the trip to Solihull Moors before being an unused substitute against Carlisle and looks destined to leave the club in the summer.
A lack of goals have plagued Nicky Featherstone's side throughout large parts of the season, with Pools scoring 33 times in their first 31 league games this season. However, there are encouraging signs that Pools have turned a corner in the final third, with Featherstone's side finding the net nine times in their last three matches to close the gap between themselves and the play-off places to just two points.
At the heart of their recent improvements has been a renewed emphasis on getting more bodies in and around Reid, while the loan signing of the outstanding Tyrese Sinclair, who has scored three goals in his last two games, has provided Pools with some much-needed flair and creativity on the flanks. Having looked to have next to no chance of sneaking into the top seven as recently as a few weeks ago, all of a sudden Pools are being touted as among the favourites for a play-off place.
Certainly, Reid looks to have benefitted more than most from his side's recent attacking improvements. Having scored 17 goals in 32 National League games during a prolific spell on loan at Wealdstone last term, the frontman has cut a frustrated figure at times this season and has often been asked to lead the line all on his own.
While Featherstone has stopped short of changing his shape in order to accommodate another striker in his starting XI, Pools have pushed higher up the pitch, worked harder to press opponents without the ball and made sure to provide Reid with more support and service. Although Pools haven't been quite as watertight at the back, the new approach has gone a long way to getting fans on side while also propelling them to within touching distance of the play-off places.
Although Southend United, who are a point clear of Pools with three games in hand, still look to be in the driving seat in the race for the top seven, the Shrimpers have been in indifferent form of late, losing three of their last five matches, while Kevin Maher's side have a testing run of fixtures on the horizon, taking on Carlisle United, Forest Green Rovers and Rochdale within the next three weeks.
Halifax Town, meanwhile, climbed into the top seven after drawing with relegation-threatened Sutton United on Saturday but the Shaymen have failed to win any of their last three matches and there are concerns in West Yorkshire that Adam Lakeland's side are beginning to run out of steam. With Halifax just two points clear of Pools having played two games more, Featherstone's side have a real chance of leapfrogging their rivals over the coming weeks.
Significantly, Pools still have to welcome both the Shrimpers and the Shaymen to Victoria Park this season. Having struggled at home throughout large parts of another turbulent campaign - Pools won just four of their first 14 home games this term - Featherstone's side have won three of their last four matches at Victoria Park and will have the chance to steal a march on both of their nearest rivals in March. Indeed, Featherstone admitted in the week that the looming visits of Halifax and Southend were shaping up to be "massively important" for his side.
While a lot of talk on the terraces and on social media has been about the form and fixtures of their two closest rivals, all Pools can really do is focus on picking up as many points as possible between now and the end of the campaign. Reid, who has been part of Stockport County and Oldham Athletic sides who have won promotion from the National League in the past, insists Pools remain quietly confident about their play-off prospects.
"We've had meetings as a squad, Feaths (Featherstone) has sort of laid down the targets," Reid said.
"We've set our own targets as a team and at the end of the day, we can just focus on ourselves. Technically, yes, Southend have the games in hand but I go back to when I was at Stockport, there was a time in the season when we were maybe second or third and we were four points off the top with four games in hand, there's so much pressure on those games. It can be tempting to go, 'oh, we've got all those games in hand, we'll definitely win them', but you'd rather the points on the board.
"We're in the fortunate position where we've got points on the board and they (Southend) have got to catch up on games. If we just look after ourselves, focus on our own targets and sneak into those play-offs, then we'll be in good stead.
"Going into the play-offs, I was at Oldham last season and they were in a similar position to us last year where they were just sort of in and around the play-off places and then they crept in at the very end; they used that momentum to eventually go on and win the play-offs against all odds.
"If we can create a scenario like that where we just sort of float in and around it and then we creep in at the right time, we can use that momentum hopefully for the play-offs."