Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick assesses whether Pools have foundations in place to achieve success

Tuesday night's defeat to Altrincham laid bare the club's recent decline. The Robins, with a significantly smaller fanbase and far less prestigious footballing history, have risen from the Northern Premier League to the upper echelons of the National League since the appointment of manager Phil Parkinson in 2017. Pools, by contrast, have slipped out of the Football League and have managed just three top half finishes in the last 17 seasons, two of which were unremarkable 12th placed efforts. It's clear that something is not quite right at the Prestige Group Stadium.

In terms of this season, there is a general sense that the squad is better than last term's, who finished slap-bang in mid-table. Yet Pools, who dropped one place to 10th following Tuesday's defeat, don't look like finishing much higher. Limbrick's side have won just one of their last eight games and have appeared tentative, uncertain and lacking in belief of late.

Not for the first time, there is a feeling of disconnect and division between supporters and the club's enigmatic owner Raj Singh. There is a growing sense that Pools, who have such a long and proud history of being a Football League club, are stagnating or even regressing. The National League is a notoriously difficult division to get out of, and Pools are showing few signs that they are capable of challenging for promotion.

Long-suffering fans are either starting to lose patience or have lost hope altogether. While the official attendance for Tuesday night's match was 3,302, that seemed like a very generous appraisal. Whatever the case, supporters, who are being asked to pay more for their season tickets than ever before, are beginning to vote with their feet. The disconnect between disillusioned fans and the club is about as significant as it has ever been, and that's a big problem.

Lots of managers have tried to get it right at Pools during Singh's stewardship, most have failed. Of the 11 permanent appointments made under Singh prior to Limbrick's arrival, only Dave Challinor lasted more than a year in the job. The Australian certainly looks to have his work cut out, although he's confident the foundations are in place to help him achieve success.

"I look at Altrincham today, and that's the only thing I can go off, and they've got a good side, there's no doubt about that," he said.

"I don't think anybody watching the game would fail to recognise that they're a good team. They've got attacking threats, they defend well, they strike the right balance between playing, going forward and defending. Even so, I think we were better than them today, even though we're sitting here now after a 2-1 loss.

"We're disappointed, but I thought we had better chances and should have won the game. I think if we win the game, then it's different questions that you get asked. Obviously, we have to face those questions.

"I think that we have added the players that are clearly going to help us in the future as well as the present, so we're looking to build on that. We're also concentrating on what we're doing right now and making sure we get back on track and start winning more games."