Hartlepool United manager Lennie Lawrence sets his side points target ahead of two long trips in a row
Hartlepool United manager Lennie Lawrence is targeting at least four points from his side's next two games.
Pools are winless in their last three matches and will need to revive their faltering fortunes if they're to maintain their play-off hopes.
Lawrence and his side are in the midst of a difficult couple of weeks that sees Pools make three long trips south in succession. Having completed the 500 mile round trip to Barnet in midweek, Pools make the 252 mile journey to Braintree on Saturday before covering the mere 288 miles to Sutton the following weekend. After that, Pools can look forward to three home games in a week and a chance for them to begin their assault on the top seven.
In order to do that, Pools must keep themselves within touching distance of the play-off places and that means picking up points on the road. Pools travel to Braintree, who have taken seven points from the last nine available but remain perilously close to the relegation zone, on Saturday before taking on a Sutton side who are unbeaten in their last six next week.
Following a string of disappointing results and lacklustre performances, Pools will need to regain some momentum ahead of the run-in. While their next two matches are set to be tough tests, the sense is that Lawrence's side will need to take points from both. Beat Braintree this weekend and some of the pressure will be taken off the trip to Sutton. Fail to win, however, and next Saturday's game at Gander Green Lane will become one Pools simply cannot afford to lose.
Lawrence, who has led the likes of Charlton, Middlesbrough and Cardiff to promotion in the past, believes his side will need to win at least one of their next two games if they're to keep themselves in play-off contention.
"We've got to win one and draw one, that's the minimum to be quite honest," he said.
"Otherwise it's going to start slipping away. If we can win one and draw one of these next two and maintain our home form, we'll be in the mix.
"In the end, we've got to stay involved and things will be decided over the last eight games. It doesn't matter what league you're in, that's what it all comes down to. It's about how well you can do then. We've got to do better than anybody else in that group around us.
"Before that, we've got to make sure we're close enough to give ourselves a chance. It's no good thinking we'll do alright in the last eight games if we're 10 points behind, that's no good at all. We want to be within half a dozen points with eight games to go. Because there's so many clubs involved, we might need to be within four points. We have to make sure we're absolutely no worse off than we are now."