Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick vows to take game to Sutton as he prepares to take charge of Pools for first time

As the 16th permanent Pools appointment in the last decade - not to mention the fourth in the last 12 months - Limbrick will be under no illusions as to the size of the task ahead of him. The Australian, who was appointed as the club's head coach in November, had been widely expected to take over from Lawrence in the summer, although the sudden timing of the changeover came as something of a surprise to most supporters. Pools have 17 games remaining this season and are still in play-off contention despite a disappointing run of recent results.

Limbrick faces a challenging start to life in the Pools hotseat as he takes his side, who are without a win in their last four matches, to South London to take on a Sutton team who are unbeaten in their previous seven games. The Us took a little time to adjust to life back in the National League following their relegation from League Two last term and lost 4-3 to Pools in a remarkable encounter back in October but head into this weekend's game as one of the division's form teams. Steve Morrison's side drew 3-3 at league leaders Barnet on Boxing Day and were only denied all three points by a 99th minute equaliser while Sutton got the better of promotion-chasing York last month. Frontman Will Davies has scored nine goals in his last 10 games, including six in his last five.

Since beating Oldham, who arrived at the Prestige Group Stadium on a run of eight games without defeat, on New Year's Day, Pools have started to lose momentum in the race for a play-off place. Although Limbrick's side are just three points outside the top seven, they've drawn three and lost one of their last four games. Pools, who have scored just three goals in that time, have been criticised for being a little too passive of late, particularly during last month's defeat at Barnet when they named three defensive-midfielders in the team but were comprehensively outplayed by the leaders.

While the squad, largely assembled by outspoken former boss Darren Sarll, who prioritised physicality and reliability over prowess in possession, as well as the hectic National League schedule means Limbrick will have limited opportunity to implement his entire footballing philosophy, supporters are expecting to see at least a subtle change in approach in South London.

"I think Sutton are another team like ourselves who are trying to get that last spot or the second last spot in the play-offs. There are probably eight teams all going for that," Limbrick said.

"They're currently on a run at the moment, I think their form has been quite good. I think they're a good team, they've got some Football League experience in that team. They're quite flexible with their shape and how they play.

"We're looking forward to the challenge, but it is certainly a challenge down there. They've had some good results. It's one that we're taking seriously, but we want to go and stamp our mark on the game as well and make sure we take the game to them. That's a key message from me."