Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick discusses "flexible" formations

While both Darren Sarll, who was responsible for assembling the squad in the summer, and veteran Lennie Lawrence both favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation, Limbrick has lined up with a three at the back in four of his first five games in charge.

When the Australian first made the switch ahead of his side's statement win over in-form Sutton, it was hailed as an innovative, daring and aggressive move. However, after his side collected just two points from three winnable home games in the space of seven days, the 41-year-old was criticised for deploying a number of players in unfamiliar positions. To make his 3-5-2 work, David Ferguson, a left-back, lined up at centre-half, while Jack Hunter, a midfielder, was also used in a defensive role. The likes of Dan Dodds, a right-back who operated as a centre-back, Reyes Cleary, a winger who lined up as a wing-back, Luke Charman and Sam Folarin all featured out of position. With Pools looking a little unsure of themselves, it was starting to feel like a case of square pegs in round holes.

Yet when Limbrick reverted back to a 4-2-3-1 ahead of Saturday's defeat to relegation-threatened Aldershot, the change, unsurprisingly, did not solve all of his side's problems. Perhaps the energetic, charismatic and ambitious Limbrick is damned if he does, and damned if he doesn't. After all, he was handed the reins at a difficult time, with Pools beginning to run out of steam under Lennie Lawrence while a growing sense of discontent and division between long-suffering supporters and the club's board is making a challenging job almost impossible.

Limbrick, who favoured a 4-2-3-1 while in charge of the likes of Woking, Welsh side The New Saints and Gibraltar's Manchester 62, will be hoping he can do enough with the current squad, one he has inherited as opposed to built himself, to convince both the ownership and the fans he is the right man to lead Pools in the longer term. For now at least, the under-pressure Limbrick seems likely to continue to experiment with his shape.

"I've always said from the start that we'd be flexible with formations," he told BBC Radio Tees Sport.

"Even when we played the three at the back and we won at Sutton, we said we'd be flexible with it.

"(On Saturday) I felt we picked the best team to try and win the game, I thought it could get a reaction from the players. I think it made sense to go with the four on a difficult pitch to make us a bit more solid. We'll look at that in the week and get a game plan together for York as well.

"With the run that we're on, we're drawing too many games and we lost the last one at home, we wanted to try and change something to get a result."