Hartlepool United prepare for relegation showdown with Crawley Town

All the talking, all of the games in hand, all of the permutations and predictions will finally stop as Hartlepool’s anticipated relegation showdown with Crawley is upon us.

Askey’s side know the task in front of them as they sit three points adrift of Crawley with just three games remaining.

It means Hartlepool could be all but relegated were they to fall to defeat at the Suit Direct Stadium whereas a victory will draw the two sides level with just two games of the season to go.

Speaking after the defeat to Salford City in midweek Askey was quick to turn the attention to the weekend fixture admitting his side have ‘one chance’ left and that being to beat Crawley, as well as following it up with another win from their final two games.

“We’ve got two games to win, one on Saturday and then hopefully against Barrow,” said Askey.

“If we can do that then we’ll probably stay up.

“It hasn’t got to have an impact and that’s what I’m saying to them,” Askey added following the defeat to Salford.

“We’ve got to realise that we’ve got a chance.

“There’s a lot riding on it, not only for them themselves but jobs at the club and for the supporters and the club as a whole.

“We’ve got to do everything possible to try and stay up.

“We’ll find out if there’s enough fight. In previous weeks we have, haven’t we? So we’ve got to find that again.

“But I’ve every faith in them that they can produce it on Saturday. It’s about holding your nerve as much as everything else.”

Meanwhile, despite their three point advantage over Hartlepool, Lindsey believes Crawley will need to win and that will be the approach his side takes.

"We want to stay focused on what we want to do. An element of calmness about us,” Lindsey told Sussex World.

“We want to play the game and not the occasion.

“I feel we've got to win, in my opinion. We are not going up there to take a draw. We want to get all three points.”