Hartlepool United squad are 'not helping each other' according to Keith Curle who comments on Nicky Featherstone absence

Hartlepool’s troubling start to the season continued in midweek after Curle lost his third straight game in charge in all competitions with their capitulation against Everton under-21s in the Papa Johns Trophy. Having been favourites to progress into the knockout stages, Pools were humbled 6-0 by Everton's academy side, concluding the night bottom of the group and out of the competition.

It was a defeat which added to the disappointing mood following the 2-1 reverse at struggling Harrogate Town at the weekend as Pools slipped to the bottom of the League Two table. In the wake of the defeat in North Yorkshire Curle had revealed, rather alarmingly, he has a quiet dressing room on his hands when saying: “They’re very quiet as a group. They don’t talk well.”

And, with a significant defeat to Everton under-21s to add to that loss, Curle conceded to The Mail his players are not helping each other out when it comes to lifting the mood in the dressing room.

“I don’t know what the environment was like previous to my arrival, but I've walked into a very quiet changing room, a very nervy and tentative changing room,” said Curle.

“It’s one of those where individually, and collectively, getting that out of them is gradual. You don’t flip it from being a quiet and shy person to a chest thumping vocalist.

“You have to bring that out and you bring that out when players have confidence in knowing what they’re doing and knowing what they're saying. At the minute the players are not helping each other out.”

One player who could help in that respect is captain Nicky Featherstone. The midfielder has been out with an ankle ligament injury since the draw with Colchester United in early September but has been stepping up his road to recovery with the 34-year-old understood to be edging nearer to a return.

“He’s a player that we’re lacking,” said Curle.

“We’re lacking League Two experience and when you’re lacking League Two experience you can suffer. That’s sometimes not just winning games, but making sure that you get yourself a good foothold in the game.”