Dave Challinor verdict on the National League table as Hartlepool United climb to second

Hartlepool United clinched a 1-0 win at Notts County on Monday to go second in the National League.

Three straight wins over the festive period have shot Pools up from the midtable positions with Luke Armstrong’s 19th-minute strike proving the difference at Meadow Lane.

Pools are second with 27 points from 16 league matches, many teams have played fewer games with some even having played just 10 or 11.

Challinor said: "It’ll take a certain amount of points to win the league, a certain amount of points to get in the play-offs.

"At the minute, Torquay are absolutely flying and with the league champions, you’re probably looking at picking up an average of two points per game but at the moment they’re on nearly two and a half which shows they’ve had an unbelievable start.

"The play-off positions will take 70 points to get you in there.

"It’s not about where we are now, it’s about getting a certain amount of points come the end of the season.

"The quicker you can get them, the easier it becomes.

"It’s a false table but I’d much rather be in our position playing 16 games than a team that have played nine because if then the back end of the season starts to look really scary if I’m one of those clubs.

"If you’re playing Saturday, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, it becomes a really big ask with the uncertainty of the next four or five months we’ve got left.”

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