Hartlepool United interim boss Nicky Featherstone targeting back-to-back wins ahead of "tough" Morecambe visit

Having endured a nightmarish couple of months on and off the pitch, Pools are looking to secure successive victories for the first time since August after ending a miserable run of six games without a win by beating Solihull Moors last time out.

Remarkably, given that Pools had won just one of their past 13 matches in all competitions prior to last Saturday's much-needed win over Solihull, Featherstone's side are just five points outside the National League play-off places ahead of what looks to be a winnable run of games.

While Pools have to travel to a Halifax side who have been in fine form of late under the impressive Adam Lakeland and make the long trip to Eastleigh, they can also look forward to home matches against second-bottom Morecambe, part-time Wealdstone and third-bottom Truro, who will have to make the mammoth trek up from Cornwall, before the end of November. If - and it's a big if, given that recent performances, despite some signs of improvement, have been more battling than breathtaking - Pools can put a run of wins together, then there's no reason they can't propel themselves back into play-off contention.

One man who will certainly be hoping that becomes a reality is controversial chairman and owner Raj Singh, whose divisive leadership has driven a wedge between the long-suffering Pools fanbase. Indeed, already dwindling attendances look set to take another hit next week, with some supporters planning to boycott Tuesday's game in protest at Singh's running of the club. A run of good results, therefore, could serve to ease some of the pressure growing on Singh, while a return to their recent indifferent form risks seeing frustration among supporters boil over. Hanging over this all, of course, is the hunt for a new manager, with Featherstone, who has spent more than a decade at Victoria Park and led Pools to four points from their last two National League games, looking like the favourite to land the job on a permanent basis.

Pools are set to host a Morecambe side who have had more than their fair share of ownership issues in midweek. Indeed, the Shrimps were pushed to the brink of footballing oblivion by the ruinous mishandling of the club's finances as well as an unmoving stance on takeover negotiations by former owner Jason Whittingham throughout a dramatic and uncertain summer.

The Lancashire side, who were relegated from League Two last term, were suspended from the National League at the beginning of the campaign and their first three matches postponed as the threat of liquidation loomed ever closer in the North West. However, just when it looked as though all hope was lost, the Shrimps were saved when Sikh-led sports investment company Panjab Warriors, who had long retained an interest in the purchase of the club, managed to force through a takeover deal in the nick of time.

Perhaps inevitably, it's been far from plain sailing since then. One of the new owners first moves was to sack popular manager Derek Adams, who enjoys legendary status at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium having led the Shrimps to back-to-back promotions, reaching League One for the first time in the club's history in 2021, and replace him with the little-known Ashvir Singh Johal.

The new boss, who arrived with no managerial experience but an interesting albeit somewhat limited coaching background having spent time at the likes of Leicester, Wigan, Italian side Como and Notts County, became the first ever Sikh manager to take charge of a professional club in England and, at 30, the youngest manager in the top five divisions.

Certainly, Singh Johal had his work cut out, with Morecambe forced to sign 12 new players in the week leading up to their first game of the campaign against Altrincham. Remarkably, the Shrimps began their momentous new era in style as they produced a spirited performance to win 2-1 thanks to Daniel Ogwuru's 90th minute strike. Unfortunately for Morecambe supporters, that wasn't to be a sign of things to come and the Shrimps head into Tuesday's game second from bottom in the National League table having won just three of their first 15 matches.

Singh Johal's style, a stark contrast to Adams' more pragmatic approach, has been a particular source of contention amongst Shrimps fans. Rather optimistically, the new boss claimed his side would become one of the best footballing teams n England, let alone the National League, within months of his appointment. While Morecambe have drawn plaudits for some of their free-flowing football, it's come at the cost of any semblance of defensive solidity or structure and the Shrimps have conceded a remarkable 41 goals in 15 games so far this term; that's six more than Aldershot, who have the second-worst defensive record in the division, 28 more than Pools and a staggering 34 more than leaders Rochdale. Singh Johal's side have conceded five goals twice, have shipped four on two separate occasions and have conceded three in five different matches already this term.

In fairness, there have been one or two signs of late that, despite Singh Johal's initial reluctance to adjust his approach, Morecambe are beginning to tighten things up at the back. Indeed, the Shrimps have been somewhat more solid since shipping five in back-to-back games against relegation rivals Truro and Gateshead towards the end of September and produced a remarkable performance to thump Boston 4-0 a fortnight ago. Even so, a Pools side who have carried much more threat under Featherstone in recent weeks must surely be licking their lips at the prospect of coming up against the National League's leakiest defence.

"It's been another positive week," the interim boss told The Red Radio.

"We've managed to work on a few things, get a bit of fitness into the lads that needed it, but also working hard on a few things that we think might happen during the game on Tuesday. It's been a really positive week so far.

"Results and wins breed confidence, they breed positivity, it's been a happy place this week. We're ready for games, that's what we do this for. We want the next game to come to see if we can carry a little bit of momentum over from last week.

"We're looking to go back-to-back for the first time in a long time. Morecambe won't be an easy game, I think they're probably a better team than their position suggests. They've got lots and lots of threats, they play in a certain style. In terms of backing it up, we know it will be a tough game but it's something we're looking to build on.

"We'll set up in a way that we think we can hurt them, they've got a really obvious style of play that they don't go away from. It'll be an interesting match-up, it's up to us to try and identify areas where we can hurt them. Like I said before, they're a better team than their league position suggests, so it will be a tough game."

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