Hartlepool United look to build on strong showing against Halifax Town ahead of trip to Rochdale

Pools will make the trip to Greater Manchester with a renewed belief following their hard-fought 1-0 win over Halifax on Good Friday, which moved them eight points clear of the National League relegation zone.

However, Pools have tended to perform better against sides who favour more direct football, such as Halifax, as it allows Tom Parkes and Luke Waterfall to dominate in the air.

Teams who prefer to keep it on the deck, like Gateshead, have the potential to cause more problems for Pools, who do not have an abundance of running power in the engine room.

The Dale, who were relegated from League Two alongside Pools last season, have tried to play attractive football under up-and-coming manager Jim McNulty.

Monday's opponents have endured a challenging first season in the National League that has been overshadowed by ongoing financial problems, although Rochdale-born philanthropic businessman Sir Peter Ogden is said to be edging towards a takeover.

On the pitch, McNulty has done a laudable job despite trying circumstances, leading Rochdale, whom he made over 200 appearances for as a player, to 11th place in the National League.

The Dale had been on an impressive run of four games unbeaten until they fell to a narrow 1-0 defeat at Gateshead on Friday after Dajaune Brown, who Poolies will remember all too well from the brace he scored against them in midweek, struck his ninth goal in eight games.

Pools will come up against a familiar face in Devante Rodney, who has four goals in his last seven games after failing to find the net in nine games before that, while Middlesbrough stalwart Adam Clayton is among their midfield options.

It feels as though Pools can at long last afford to breathe something of a sigh of relief, with an eight point gap separating themselves and the drop with just five games remaining, but Phillips is determined to prove his side can compete against a team who like to keep it on the deck.

"It'll be another different challenge," he said.

"They like to play football, they like to get it down and play out through the back.

"We've learned some lessons from the Gateshead game, so we'll analyse it, look at it and pick a team to try and nullify their threats.

"Then, it's about how we recover and what we do.

"Thankfully, it's not a massively long journey for us.

"The biggest thing now is we go there full of confidence; when you look at the league table now, I think it's looking a little bit sweeter.

"We've still got loads of work to do and I'm going there to win on Monday."