Hartlepool United v Rochdale: Keith Curle comments on 'must win' tag

Hartlepool will be looking to bounce back from what was a potentially damaging defeat to bottom side Gillingham a week ago when they welcome the side one place and one point above them in the table in Rochdale.

And it is a side who Pools know how to get the better of having beaten Rochdale 2-1 only four weeks ago in Boxing Day’s success at the Crown Oil Arena thanks to goals from Rollin Menayese and a stunning Callum Cooke free kick.

But despite the significance of the fixture, Curle was keen to emphasise the importance of the remaining 21 games as a whole for Hartlepool this season and not just the meeting with Rochdale.

“No [this game is not a must win]. They all are,” Curle told The Mail.

“If we win this game, or Rochdale win the game, does that guarantee survival in this division? Not a chance.

“So if either team wins or either team loses does that guarantee anything either way? No. I think we’ve both got 20-21 games to go, so it’s about how many points we can get and how many games we can win in that run.

“But our mindset is that we need to find a way to win a game of football. It won’t change next week even if we win a game of football. We’ll need to find another way to win on Tuesday and then Saturday until we’ve won enough games.”

Curle could potentially hand debuts to defensive duo Peter Hartley and Edon Pruti after the pair missed the defeat to Gillingham whilst midfielder Cooke is set to miss out due to an ankle injury.

Curle has suggested full-back Jamie Sterry has returned to ‘field-based’ training meaning the 27-year-old could be back in contention after being forced off with a groin issue in the defeat to Mansfield Town last month.

One player who won’t feature is Mark Shelton after the midfielder completed a move away from the Suit Direct Stadium to join Oldham Athletic in the National League.