Hartlepool United assistant has his say on forlorn play-off hopes, humiliating Wealdstone hammering, Landon Smith and trip to Boreham Wood
Hartlepool United assistant manager Gary Liddle admits the National League play-off places are now out of reach for his side.
Pools appeared to have played themselves into top seven contention thanks to a run of three successive wins, only for their play-off hopes to unravel in the space of a week in dramatic circumstances.
Having edged past bottom club Truro and strugglers Eastleigh before twice coming from behind to beat relegation-threatened Morecambe, Pools made the long trip to Wealdstone at the end of last month knowing that three points at Grosvenor Vale could have propelled them into the top seven for the first time since September.
Yet rather than taking another big step towards the play-off places, Pools saw their hopes of sneaking into the top seven slip through their fingers in humiliating fashion as Nicky Featherstone's side were on the wrong end of a 7-0 mauling, the club's heaviest defeat since 1994.
Pools were run ragged by a Stones side who came into the game having lost all of their previous three National League matches without scoring but raced into a 5-0 lead inside 33 minutes, with frontman Micah Obiero bagging a quickfire hat-trick.
Despite making five changes at half time, Featherstone's side never managed to get to grips with the Ruislip outfit as Pools were condemned to one of the worst results in their entire history.
Concerningly for Pools fans, their side lacked any semblance of fight, desire or determination during a game that should have carried huge significance in their season.
Not for the first time, Pools managed to haul themselves to within striking distance of the top seven before wilting when they had the chance to steal a march on their play-off rivals; surely one of the biggest challenges facing Featherstone and Liddle will be working out how to overcome whatever it is holding their side back in that regard.
To their credit, Pools rallied to secure back-to-back goalless draws over the Easter weekend, frustrating promotion hopefuls Scunthorpe on Good Friday before doing the same to title-chasing Rochdale on Easter Monday.
While there was no disgrace in battling draws against two of the best sides in the division, a run of three matches without a win effectively ended any hopes Pools might still have been harbouring of sneaking into the play-offs this season; indeed, seventh-placed Southend's run of three consecutive league victories has seen the Shrimpers open up an almost unassailable nine-point gap.
Now, Pools must try to find a way to finish the season with some momentum ahead of four games which are, to all intents and purposes, dead rubbers.
Featherstone's side make the long trip to free-scoring Boreham Wood, who have already secured their place in the play-offs, on Saturday before rounding off another turbulent campaign with games against Forest Green Rovers, who need just one more point to clinch their spot in the top seven, Southend and mid-table Boston.
While the matches themselves might assume next to no significance in terms of the season from a Pools perspective, Featherstone is doubtless desperate to prove to new owner Landon Smith that he is the right man to lead the team beyond the end of the current campaign.
The 37-year-old's time in charge has been mixed, with Pools producing impressive performances to beat the likes of Rochdale and rivals Carlisle but also suffering several humiliating results, including two humbling cup exits at the hands of lower league opposition as well as thumping defeats against Woking, the first game since Smith completed his takeover from controversial former owner Raj Singh, Aldershot and, of course, Wealdstone.
Just when Pools appear to be making progress under Featherstone, a shock result or dismal performance seems to take them back almost to where they started and there are plenty of fans who feel he is too inexperienced and tactically unimaginative.
Despite the disappointment of the last few weeks - and whatever happens between now and the end of the season - Pools supporters will approach the summer and the 2026/27 campaign with a sense of newfound hope and optimism in the wake of Smith's takeover.
With the final few years of Singh's tumultuous tenure blighted by disappointment on the pitch, disaffection on the terraces and a series of dramatic and controversial decisions in the corridors of power, Smith's sudden takeover on New Year's Eve has gone a long way to restoring a sense of togetherness and unity to Victoria Park.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the American businessman has taken a measured, pragmatic and patient approach to his time in charge so far but the recent appointment of specialist football consultancy firm Bromby and Partners suggests change is in the offing.
Before that happens, Pools will have to navigate the final four games of the season as best as they can - after all, most of the current squad are out of contract in the summer and are therefore playing for their futures - beginning with Saturday's long trip to Boreham Wood.
Having been relegated in 2024, the Hertfordshire side bounced straight back last season and sit fourth in the National League following a remarkable campaign that's seen them score a whopping 88 goals in 43 matches, only bettered by league leaders York.
While Pools are now coming to terms with the prospect of a fourth successive season in the fifth tier, it still feels important that Featherstone's side try to finish the campaign with at least a semblance of momentum ahead of what could well prove to be a decisive summer under Smith.
"Wealdstone was an absolute horror show and I don't think there's any getting around that," Liddle told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"I've never been involved in a game like that and there are obviously no excuses for that result or for that performance.
"It certainly wasn't what we went into the game hoping for, but we came out of it with what was a horrendous result and the journey home certainly wasn't a nice one.
"Off the back of that we went into the Scunthorpe game and we didn't know what to expect really if the truth be told.
"You're hoping the lads can sort of put the Wealdstone result to the back of their minds; we had meetings and we addressed it as soon as we possibly could.
"I think that was important, it would have been easy to brush it under the carpet but the nature of the result and the nature of the performance meant it needed addressing, and we did that.
"I give the lads huge credit for going into that Scunthorpe game and getting the result that they did - the clean sheet that they got on the day was testament to the mindset and the character of the group.
"I think realistically, the play-offs are probably out of reach, that's not hard for me to say.
"We've probably given ourselves too much to do in that respect but it's just about building on the last two results now, obviously we need to score more goals, there's no getting away from that - the only teams that have scored fewer goals than us are in the relegation zone.
"We've got tough games on paper and a long journey again this weekend, but we just need to try and build some momentum now.
"We're all in a little bit of the world of the unknown at the moment in terms of what's happening next season, so if we can build some momentum, score some goals, get some wins on the board and give the fans and the club something to build on in terms of next season, then I think it can prove to be a very exciting end to the season ahead of what will hopefully be a very exciting summer for the football club.
"Great credit to Boreham Wood and the manager there, to get relegated as they did and then to bounce straight back up, what he (Luke Garrard) has done there is completely change the style of play at the football club as well.
"They're a really good, attacking outfit, they're exciting, they've got a really good home record, I think they've scored the second most goals in the division.
"It'll be a tough game, I've got no doubt it will be; it's another long trip for us, which they all seem to be at the moment.
"We can go into it taking confidence from the last couple of games, certainly from a defensive perspective.
"Of course, we'd like to go there and score some goals and that will certainly be the aim, we've worked hard in training on scoring goals. Hopefully we can see the fruits of that at the weekend.
"No doubt it will be a tough game, but we're excited; we generally do alright against the top teams and we can have a certain impact at the top end of the division. We're looking forward to it."