Hartlepool United manager slams Sutton United defeat as 'not good enough' after play-off hopes dealt big blow
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone slammed his side's 2-0 defeat at home to relegation-threatened Sutton United as "not good enough".
Not for the first time this season, Pools followed up one of their best performances of the campaign with a decidedly lacklustre display on a dispiriting evening for Featherstone and his side.
Having been so impressive during last week's dominant win over big-spending rivals Carlisle United, Pools were bidding to record three successive victories for the first time since August against a Us side who are languishing perilously close to the relegation zone.
Indeed, Featherstone's side knew that three points on Tuesday night would have seen them leapfrog Halifax Town, one of their direct rivals for a National League play-off place, while at the very least helping them keep the pressure on Southend United, depending on how the Shrimpers fared against bottom club Truro City.
Yet Pools didn't play like a team who could have climbed into the top seven for the first time in five months had results gone in their favour, instead wilting in the face of a spirited and well-organised Sutton outfit.
Although the home side spurned a couple of chances - the in-form Tyrese Sinclair, who came into the game having scored three times in his last two appearances, fluffed his lines having been played through on goal in first half added time while Alex Reid turned an effort narrowly wide of the near post a minute into the second half - Pools struggled to break down their resolute visitors.
Frustratingly for Featherstone - and, indeed, the almost 3,500 home fans inside Victoria Park, who booed their side off at full time - Pools lacked any of the energy, impetus and purpose that made them so effective at both ends of the pitch against Carlisle.
Instead, the hosts were generally too passive and ponderous in possession, while their work without the ball left a lot to be desired and their press, so impressive during the statement win over the Cumbrians, was almost non-existent.
In the end, goals from Osman Foyo, who capitalised on some uncharacteristically sluggish Pools defending to score for the Us for the first time after 63 minutes, and Kai Jennings, whose thunderous 90th minute strike capped an excellent showing in the engine room, condemned Featherstone's side to their first defeat in three matches.
If there was one saving grace for Pools, it's that Southend failed to get past Truro, albeit the Shrimpers extended their advantage over Featherstone's side after coming from behind to salvage a point; the Essex outfit are now two points clear of Pools with three games in hand.
Whatever the case, Pools will have to improve significantly if they're to give themselves even the faintest of chances of finishing in the top seven ahead of Saturday's visit of Halifax, another of their direct rivals for a place in the play-offs.
"It's not good enough," Featherstone told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"There have been too many times when we produce a brilliant performance and then, six days later, we do something like that; to put both of those performances next to each other is hard to take, and it's hard to understand why.
"The energy wasn't there, I don't like us after a good win to be honest, I really don't; I fear for the next game. It's what we've done time and time again, I don't know why.
"We've spoken about the mentality of the group but we're going over things again and again, it's the same issues that we're having. We go from a really good performance to a very average one at best.
"I don't know if we think we should just turn up and win these games, I don't know - I certainly don't think that, my preparation didn't change. I had a little feeling in the two days training building up to the game that we weren't quite at it, we addressed it but for whatever reason we keep doing the same thing.
"I think it's been four or five times since I've been here that we've had the chance to go into the top seven with a win; we haven't taken any of those chances.
"It is what it is, we've got to brush ourselves down and we've got to go again, we've got a really important game on Saturday against Halifax. It's just a defeat at the end of the day; it's not a nice feeling, but it's one that we'll learn from and hopefully we'll be better on Saturday."