Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick pleased with promising signs after taking charge of Pools

The 41-year-old, who became the first Australian ever to take charge of Pools when he oversaw Saturday's impressive 2-1 win over Sutton, stepped into the hotseat after the veteran Lawrence announced his decision to return to his role as assistant. While most fans had expected Limbrick to replace Lawrence in the summer, the timing and suddenness of the change came as something of a surprise.

Although Pools made considerable strides under Lawrence after the former Middlesbrough, Charlton, Luton and Cardiff boss replaced the outspoken Darren Sarll in October, fans were growing frustrated at their side's failure to turn draws into wins. Pools were hard to beat but drew eight of Lawrence's 16 National League games at the helm and were without a win in four prior to his decision to step down in Limbrick's favour. Pools were fortunate to escape with a point at relegation-threatened Wealdstone, failed to make the most of their man advantage against a Woking side who had Chinwike Okoli sent off after 36 minutes and hit the woodwork three times in a frustrating draw with strugglers Braintree. While Pools are still just three points outside the play-off places, they can ill-afford too many more slip-ups.

And Pools made a perfect start to life under Limbrick on Saturday when they beat a Sutton team who came into the game unbeaten in their last eight matches. In Will Davies, who scored his 10th goal in 11 games at the weekend, the Us boast one of the division's most in-form marksmen while Pools were without Tom Parkes, their most consistent defender this term. However, Limbrick sprung a surprise when he reverted to a back three, a shape Pools have rarely played in the last 12 months; Kevin Phillips made the switch to three at the back ahead of a 7-1 mauling at Gateshead last March, while Darren Sarll tested out the shape during a 3-0 defeat at home to Rochdale.

Despite one or two nervous moments in the opening exchanges as Sutton looked to exploit the space in-behind advanced wing-backs Dan Dodds and Reyes Cleary, Pools settled well and were good value for the three points after dominating large parts of the game. Skipper Luke Waterfall produced a captain's performance in the heart of the back three, while central-midfielder Jack Hunter and left-back David Ferguson impressed either side of him.

Given that Limbrick has been at the club since his initial appointment in November, the transition is unlikely to come as a total culture shock to a Pools squad who are still determined to sneak into the top seven. However, the energetic, charismatic and ambitious Australian has vowed to get Pools playing on the front foot as he looks to convince both supporters and the board that he is the right man to lead the club in the long-term. Although his aggressive approach is not without risks, it should sit well with Pools fans and their demand for blood and thunder above all else.

While there is lots of work to be done and Pools look to face an uphill battle if they're to steal into the play-off places, the initial signs are good. Pools were more positive and proactive in South London on Saturday, while Limbrick's attack-minded substitutions changed the game at a crucial stage.

"I saw a lot of good signs on Saturday in terms of what they delivered," Limbrick said.

"Tactically, out of possession, with the ball and in terms of what we created, I think the way we set up suited the players.

"We're a long way away from the finished article but we're really thinking a little bit short-term at the moment if I'm honest. Our main focus is to try and get as many points as we can to try and get as close to those play-off places as we possibly can.

"I think it's going to be a big month for us, we know that. I think it's going to be a big week with the three home games on Tuesday, Saturday, Tuesday. I think from then, we should have a good idea of where we are. We need to be consistent, we need to improve and we've still got a lot of work to do. We should have scored in the first half, there's no doubt about that. We can't concede straight after half time either. We know there's a lot of work to do."