Hartlepool United defender Neill Byrne discusses targets for the remainder of the season after former Nottingham Forest man starred in Newport County success

Byrne restored Pools’ lead at Rodney Parade with a header at the back post as Graeme Lee’s side claimed a standout win over the promotion chasing Exiles.

Byrne wheeled away in celebration and was delighted to get off the mark for Pools after arriving at the Suit Direct Stadium from Halifax in the summer.

Byrne’s winner helped to end a run of just one win in five for Pools in all competitions and moved them beyond the 50 point barrier in League Two.

But the Irishman suggests there remains plenty to play for in the final nine games of the season and does not expect his side to be any less motivated as such.

“It probably does [take the pressure off]. Since I’ve come in I think we’ve always said 50 points, from what I know, gets you safe,” Byrne told The Mail.

“Now I think it's just about setting a different objective, not putting too much pressure on yourself.

“We just go game to game and at the end of the season see what that brings us.

“I don’t think we’ll take our foot off the gas,” Byrne added.

“We’ve got experienced players in the team that wouldn't let that happen and it will come from the staff as well as the players.

“We don’t want to just let the season fizzle out. We want to be going into games, winning games, and getting the fans at the Suit Direct Stadium bouncing.

“We don’t just want to be going through the motions, we want to finish as high as we can.

“Where that takes us, we don’t know, we just need to take it game by game and see how many points we can get and come the end of the season we’ll see where we are.”

Byrne has been a regular for Pools this season having made 45 appearances across all competitions with the 29-year-old having also been trusted with the captaincy in the absence of Nicky Featherstone and Gary Liddle at times throughout the campaign.

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