Hartlepool United defender vows to keep fighting as Pools close in on National League play-off place
Hartlepool United defender Cameron John insists Pools will keep fighting as they bid to sneak into the National League play-off places.
Nicky Featherstone's side have propelled themselves back into play-off contention thanks to three successive victories, edging past bottom club Truro City as well as strugglers Eastleigh before twice coming from behind to beat relegation-threatened Morecambe 3-2 on Wednesday night.
With Pools clinging on in added time in Lancashire, John produced a remarkable piece of defending, somehow heading Ben Tollitt's venomous strike off the line as the clock ticked down.
Had it not been for John's superb intervention, Pools would surely have ended up drawing the game, a result which would have left them with a mountain to climb in the race for the top seven; as it was, victory at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium, the first time Pools had recorded three successive wins since August, moved them to within striking distance of the top seven.
True, Pools still rank as outsiders when it comes to the play-off picture but Featherstone's side have hit form at the right time, moving to within two points of the top seven.
In all likelihood, there are four teams fighting for the final two play-off spots, with Pools in hot pursuit of Halifax Town, who are two points clear of Featherstone's side but have played one match more, as well as Southend United, who also boast a two-point advantage but have a game in hand.
For the last few months, it has felt like those three sides are vying for seventh place, but the dip in form of Forest Green Rovers has made things all the more interesting.
The Gloucestershire outfit were touted as potential title contenders at the beginning of the campaign and manager Robbie Savage was even linked with Championship side Blackburn Rovers, but their form has taken a nosedive in recent weeks.
Indeed, Rovers have lost eight of their last 13 matches in all competitions - seven of those defeats have come in the National League - a dismal run which has seen them lose considerable ground in the race for the play-offs.
All of a sudden, Pools are almost within touching distance of Savage's side, who are six points clear but have played a game more; if Forest Green don't manage to turn their form around, then Pools could well have the chance to overhaul them between now and the end of term.
Significantly, Pools are still to welcome both Forest Green and Southend to Victoria Park this season. While their home form has been, at best, pretty patchy this term, the prospect of two big games in front of a raucous crowd adds another element of intrigue to the run-in and provides Pools with a golden opportunity to steal a march on their rivals.
York City loanee John has been at the heart of much of what Pools have done well this term, scoring twice in 34 league appearances.
Having been a regular in the Minstermen side that finished second in the National League last season after amassing a whopping 96 points, John signed for Pools in the summer after York moved to bolster their options on the left side of the defence.
Almost from the moment of his arrival, the 26-year-old has impressed at Victoria Park, making a big impact at either left-back or centre-half thanks to his reading of the game, defensive prowess and energetic attacking runs.
John's one dip in form this season came in January, when he was sent off after lashing out at Woking's Josh Osude having been given the runaround during a thumping 4-0 defeat at the Kingfield Stadium.
After returning from suspension, it took the versatile defender a while to get back up to speed - John surely wasn't helped by the stop, start nature of the next few weeks, with several games falling foul of the wet weather while he was also ineligible to play against his parent club - but he now appears to have rediscovered his best form.
One of the standout features of his recent performances has been his emerging partnership with fellow York loanee Tyrese Sinclair.
The pair, who played together at Rochdale before linking up at York, seem to have an almost innate understanding down the left side, with John's determined overlapping runs freeing up space for Sinclair to drift inside onto his favoured left foot and cause havoc for defenders.
In all likelihood, Pools will need to win most of their remaining seven matches - no mean feat given that five of those games are against teams in the top eight - but John insists his side are determined to keep pushing towards the play-offs as they look to upset the promotion picture between now and the end of the campaign.
"The clearance (against Morecambe) was one of those moments where I just had a feeling, I knew he (Tollitt) probably wasn't going to cross it so it was just instinctive really," John told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"I just went to the line and somehow headed it out. The boys were telling me I headed it out of the stand; I don't know where the ball went, all I know is that it wasn't in the goal.
"I'm just doing my part for the team; it's a big win, it was needed for the team and we just keep rolling.
"It's massive, we got in the changing room and we were all ecstatic; we know how big that win is. It's one of the first times this season we've won three on the bounce.
"Again, we're showing character, going behind at 1-0 and then 2-1, we've shown that we've got fight. We're in this fight, we're in this play-off push.
"We've got seven games to go and we know that every game is vitally important. With the results going our way, we've just got to keep pushing.
"Playing with Ty (Tyrese Sinclair) is quite easy, we got on well off the pitch and we both know how each other's game works, it's easy.
"Playing with someone like him, he knows how I play and I know how he plays, we complement each other quite well. I'm just glad we're showing it on the pitch, it's resulting in wins and it's resulting in good performances, so hopefully that continues.
"I just want to help the team as much as possible. Today (Wednesday), I managed to get an assist and save the goal, so I'm doing my part for the team.
"After the disappointment of getting my red card, I was a bit topsy-turvy and then I wasn't able to play in the York game, so I was a bit in and out and it was difficult to get a real rhythm for the games.
"I've been disappointed in my own performances of late because I know how highly I rate myself and the standards I want to play at. I do feel like in the last few weeks, I'm finally getting back to how I was before the red card and that shambolic performance. I'm here to help the team in any way possible - and that's what I'm going to do.
"I let the team down that day (against Woking), I'm meant to be one of the senior players in the team and I let them down; that's something I don't want to do.
"I apologised to the team that day, I got my head down, I knuckled down and I worked hard every day in training; day's like today (against Morecambe) is where I can say to the boys, 'look, I've got this one for you' because they've got me out of a few problems as well. Today was my way of saying, 'guys, I've got you'.
"The red card did weigh on me, it's really out of character for me as a person and a player, so it was really disappointing on my part. That's football, I got my head down and now we're here; we'll just keep pushing.
"I've enjoyed it, I've made no secret of the fact that I've enjoyed it this season. From the first day here, everyone - the staff, the players, the media and the fans, everyone - have made me feel so welcome and that's helped me come here and showcase my football.
"These last seven games are here to be cherished, we've got another big final push. I came here to help the club get into the play-offs and that's what I want to do; we'll keep pushing and we'll go from there."