Hartlepool United to continue search for first league win at Mansfield Town

Curle takes his side to the One Call Stadium to face Mansfield Town on Friday with the club at the foot of the League Two table following the goalless draw with Gillingham.

It was a result which means Pools, as a club, have now gone 19 games without a win in the league - a run stretching back to March’s 3-2 success over Newport County - but Curle remains confident he has a squad at his disposal capable of getting results and turning around the club’s fortunes this season.

“I need a first win. The football club needs a first win. The changing room needs a first win. Every single supporter, every single player, everybody needs a first win, but I think the big thing is there’s a difference between need and want,” Curle explained to The Mail.

“Some people might say they’re both four letter words. And in a roundabout way people could say they mean the same thing.

“But within the environment we’re trying to create, want is that; if it happens it happens, if it doesn’t it doesn’t. When you need something, you do what needs to be done to make it happen.

The Pools boss added: “There is enough quality there to get us winning games. It’s that realisation that I know where we’re at.

“So as a football club we’re bottom of the league, but if you look at Gillingham on Saturday they got a point and went up two places, we got a point and went down one, that’s how close it is down there.

“If we go and get two wins back-to-back very quickly then the next thing you know you’re touching mid-table and it’s a completely different mindset for everybody.”

But for Curle’s side to get a result it will mean snapping that most unwanted current winless streak in the EFL.

“I’m mindful of the fact that anything I say I don't want it to be disrespectful to the previous regime but ultimately the playing department have fallen behind the progression of the football club off the field,” said Curle.

“And I’ll take it down to its barest roots: we need to get better results.

“We inherited a football club that hasn’t been winning games, hasn’t been keeping clean sheets and hasn’t been scoring goals. So I think the first thing you do is make sure we’re difficult to beat and Saturday we looked difficult to beat, I don't think the goalkeeper had a save to make.

“So if you take Morcambe as well, that’s two clean sheets and you’re putting down a foundation.

“That is continued work, that’s our team shape out of possession, we need to be difficult to beat and get people into the right areas and be competitive and then work in areas that affect the opposition. I think the four best chances on Saturday fell to us.

“We’re fighting to improve. Ultimately there’s 10 games gone. We’ve no wins and five points. We need to improve. And that’s improving on everything we do.”