Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick hails character of his side following much-needed win over Boston
Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick has hailed the character of his side after they ended a miserable run of eight matches without a win thanks to a thumping 4-1 victory over Boston at the weekend.
Limbrick and his players have had a lot to contend with in recent weeks. The Australian, who was widely expected to succeed manager Lennie Lawrence in the summer, was thrust into the limelight at the beginning of last month following the veteran's sudden decision to step down. While the misconception is that Pools were in a rich vein of form at the time, they'd failed to win any of their final four matches under Lawrence and were struggling to cope in the absence of influential attacking pair Joe Grey and Anthony Mancini. Even so, their slide down the table has meant fans have taken their time to warm to Limbrick despite his likeability, charisma and energy.
Things became even more complicated when chairman Raj Singh announced his shock resignation and his intention to stop funding the club at the end of the season, leaving Pools facing a race against time to secure their future. Even though that will be decided above Limbrick's head, as the club's figurehead he has been the unfortunate man charged with navigating a host of difficult questions about off-field uncertainties over the last fortnight in the face of his insistence that it has been "business as usual" for him and his players.
Fans might have been forgiven, then, for feeling a little nervous ahead of Saturday's visit of a resurgent Boston. The Pilgrims arrived at the Prestige Group Stadium having won all of their last five away games, a run that had seen them move within two points of National League safety. Pools, by contrast, were without a win in eight and knew that defeat at the weekend would have closed the gap between themselves and Graham Coughlan's in-form side to an uncomfortable six points.
While there have been plenty of justifiable criticisms levelled at a Pools side who have underperformed for the vast majority of another underwhelming season, it would be difficult to question their character. Pools have won more points from losing positions than almost any side in the division, have rarely been well-beaten and have produced a number of determined rearguard actions. The squad has a lot of experience and a host of strong characters. That was all on show at the weekend as Pools produced one of their best performances of the campaign, leaving Limbrick to breathe a sigh of relief as the threat of relegation faded into the background.
"100 per cent, we've got some fantastic characters," he said.
"The group are strong, they keep going until the end, they fight for everything. I don't think in any of the defeats or the disappointing draws at home you could say that the players haven't tried or worked hard, they've been giving everything. I was really pleased that they could get their rewards today because they deserved it."