Hartlepool United defender Louis Stephenson admits he has had to work hard to put last month's glaring miss against Maidenhead behind him.

The teenager has endured a difficult season. Having enjoyed a run in the side under Kevin Phillips at the back end of last term, Stephenson featured in all of the first six games of the new campaign but fell out of favour following a difficult afternoon against Wealdstone at the end of August when he was substituted at half time. Since then, the 19-year-old has been shipped out on loan to Northern Premier League sides Blyth Spartans and Whitby Town and hadn't made a Pools appearance for six months when he was brought back into the fold by new head coach Anthony Limbrick.

He made his first team return as a 74th minute substitute against strugglers Maidenhead last month. With Pools needing a win to keep their fading play-off hopes alive, Stephenson missed a glaring opportunity from close range right at the death and looked close to tears at full time. However, he impressed after being handed a start against Altrincham three days later and produced a confident performance as Pools drew with Solihull Moors on Saturday. The energetic and determined defender could now be set for a spell in the team after Dan Dodds was ruled out with a hamstring injury that is expected to sideline him for at least a few weeks. And Stephenson is hoping his patience is starting to pay off as he looks to end a challenging campaign on a positive note.

"The main thing I've learned from this season is just about being patient," he said.

The youngster has responded well since his glaring miss in the goalless draw with Maidenhead last month and produced an assured performance against Solihull Moors on Saturday. Picture by Frank Reid.

placeholder image — The youngster has responded well since his glaring miss in the goalless draw with Maidenhead last month and produced an assured performance against Solihull Moors on Saturday. Picture by Frank Reid.

"Obviously, I came on the other week against Maidenhead and missed that chance, which was gutting. It hurt a lot, I was devastated. I played three days after it and I knew I just had to get on with it. It was a chance, everyone has chances. I know it was a bad miss, but it was about responding well. I just had to forget about it and focus on the next game."