Hartlepool United defender insists Pools determined to bounce back from Sutton United defeat against Halifax Town
Hartlepool United defender Jay Benn insists his side are determined to bounce back from Tuesday night's disappointing defeat at the hands of strugglers Sutton United ahead of this weekend's visit of Halifax Town.
Having suffered an ill-timed slip-up against the relegation-threatened Us in the week, Pools are under pressure to respond on Saturday against one of their direct rivals for a National League play-off place.
With the race for the top seven hotting up, Pools are in desperate need of some consistency as they bid to end an up-and-down season on a high.
A win at the weekend would see Pools leapfrog Halifax while also putting a major dent in the Shaymen's play-off hopes and could even see Nicky Featherstone's side climb above Southend United, depending on how the Shrimpers fare away at promotion-chasing Carlisle United.
Yet Pools have been notoriously unpredictable this season, producing a string of outstanding showings against the likes of Eastleigh, Rochdale and Carlisle as well as a number of dismal displays such as those served up against Woking, Aldershot Town and Sutton.
Benn, who made his professional debut at Halifax, insists his side are determined to get back to winning ways at the weekend as Pools bid to keep pace in the race for the National League play-off places.
"It (Sutton) was a frustrating one," the 24-year-old told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"I think if you look back at the game, we've missed big chances at key times in the game; especially the one before half time, that would've given us something to hold on to. Then we hit the post just after half time, that would've killed them.
"You look back and we've conceded from a controllable in a set-piece, it hurts. It's a frustrating one and I think we've got to react better to going 1-0 down.
"We've come back into the training ground and we're going to have to work hard and focus on Halifax on Saturday. We'll look back on it (Sutton) and do our best to fix what went wrong.
"Coming into the last few games, we're playing lots of the teams that are in and around us and I still think it's in our hands. We're going to have to play the likes of Southend at the business end of the season; it's there for us, we've got to take care of what we can control.
"We don't want this season to fizzle out, we've got to keep pressing and keep pushing. Southend above us have had a slip-up, so we've got to make sure we're there if they do it again.
"We know what Halifax bring, they're a strong side with willing runners. Their striker (Will Harris) has been banging in goals as well, so we know the threat they pose. As we did at their place, we'll stick to the gameplan and do our best to get a result."