Hartlepool United verdict: Pools buying into Keith Curle's methods but it must translate into points after Stevenage defeat

Sooner or later Keith Curle’s side are going to have to go on a run of results, you feel, if they are to keep their heads above water. But a trip to Stevenage is about as tough a fixture as you can get in League Two this season and Pools were an untimely individual error away from claiming what would have been an excellent point.

One of the more significant comments from Curle post-match was on how his team did not throw in the towel - even after Ben Killip and Danny Rose gave their best Shay Given-Dion Dublin impression.

“I’m pleased with the effort, the commitment and the application and that nobody folded,” said Curle.

“You come here and they try and find a weakness and they keep knocking on the door. But for large periods of the game they didn’t find a weakness in us individually and that’s something we’ve been working on.”

And when you factor in that Curle suggested he was onto ‘Plan F’ when it came to his team selection, owing to injuries within the squad, there remains signs of encouragement. While we can’t swing from the rooftops over a defeat, what is becoming more prevalent in recent weeks is that the players appear to be buying into what Curle is selling them.

And it wasn’t all just about sitting back and hoping a cobbled together back four could deal with the threats posed by Stevenage. The decision, perhaps forced upon him, to start a front three of Josh Umerah, Theo Robinson and Jack Hamilton caused the home side problems. Umerah twice went close when hitting the bar and dragging wide and those are the fine margins, at any level, that can see you punished. Likewise a mistake such as the one made by Killip will, and did, cost you points.

But Killip will bounce back. He’s experienced enough now to be able to deal with any potential question marks against his name. And, for the most part, Killip is having a solid campaign individually. Had it not been for an excellent save to deny Niall Maher with the score at 0-1 in the previous league fixture with Grimsby Town for example, Hartlepool are unlikely to have claimed three points. However, you can guarantee he undertakes a thorough surveillance of his penalty area the next time he has the ball in his hands.

So where does this leave Hartlepool?

They’re still very much in trouble in what is increasingly looking like a bottom six in League Two - bottom eight at a push. The bottom six all lost at the weekend which offers a slight reprieve but, while performances have picked up, form continues to be a huge concern having lost five of the last six games. And things don’t get much easier for Hartlepool with a trip to another side with strong home form in Barrow, where they will also be without striker Umerah after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season.

It's encouraging that Curle is getting a little bit of fight into his players, but that fight quickly needs to translate into points.