Hartlepool United head coach calls for a reaction ahead of visit of high-flying Forest Green Rovers
Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick has called for a reaction when Pools host promotion-chasing Forest Green Rovers on Monday.
A decent run of form that had seen Pools win four of their previous six games was stopped in its tracks last Saturday when Limbrick's side were humbled 5-1 by play-off contenders Rochdale.
To make matters worse, more than 700 fans had made the trip to Greater Manchester to support their side at the end of a long, hard and, at times, dispiriting campaign, with Pools fans descending on Spotland, or the Crown Oil Arena as it is currently known, dressed in flat caps as part of the club's annual fancy dress tradition.
With Pools facing an uncertain future ever since the resignation of divisive owner Raj Singh in March, an upturn in form under Limbrick has served as a welcome distraction from the sense of foreboding that is increasingly overshadowing the Prestige Group Stadium as the clock ticks towards the end of the season, when Singh has vowed to stop his funding of club operations. Saturday's result, then, left fans unable to shake the feeling of doom and gloom, especially off the back of a fairly miserable week when the club had become embroiled in controversy after suddenly opting out of their productive partnership with Hartlepool College of Further Education. To make matters worse, fears over the future were heightened when the interim board published a statement revealing it was "highly unlikely" that a takeover would be completed before the end of the season.
Although Limbrick has stuck with unflinching determination to his insistence that the players and staff are focusing solely on footballing matters and finishing the season on a high, it's impossible to imagine that the looming uncertainty hasn't had at least something of an impact on the squad. Whatever the case, after Monday's visit of Forest Green, who will make the long trip up from Gloucestershire having secured a third placed finish, there will be no more football to focus on. While most managers and head coaches will be busying themselves with things like retained lists and recruitment, it's almost impossible to tell what the summer might have in store for Limbrick and his side. Clearly, Pools will not be in a position to negotiate new contracts or pursue transfer targets in any meaningful sense until a takeover is completed and the club's future is secured. The longer the current state of limbo remains, the more difficult things are likely to become for Pools. At the moment, the impending summer break is starting to feel like something of an abyss.
It is perhaps especially important, then, that Pools give fans something to shout about one last time this season. While there is the understandable sense that Monday's meeting is to all intents and purposes a meaningless game, Pools will want to banish the bad memories of their mauling in Manchester and take whatever positivity it might be possible to salvage into the coming weeks. Above all, Pools will be eager to show fans that there is still some fight and spirit within their ranks after last week's wilting display, with Limbrick calling for a reaction as his side bid to end one of the most turbulent seasons in the club's recent history on a positive note.
"We want to put things right," he told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"We need to see a reaction. In the last three home games we've scored 10 goals - four goals, three goals, three goals - and we've had some really good performances, none more so than the win over Gateshead. We need to get back to that level.
"We'll be pushing the players and the players will be pushing themselves and each other to get back on track. We feel like we owe the fans."