Hartlepool United verdict: 'Satisfactory' Easter makes things 'interesting' for John Askey ahead of five-game relegation shootout

In little over three weeks time we will have all the answers we need. Who knows, it may even be sooner should Hartlepool continue on their upward trajectory since the arrival of John Askey.

Askey remains unbeaten in eight games having taken four points from a possible six over the Easter weekend, a run which now sees them above Crawley Town, who drop back into the bottom two.

Despite being outside the relegation zone when he took over, to be outside of the bottom two now, given the run of fixtures he was faced with and the sheer volume of games in hand with which Crawley held over Pools, has to be seen as a positive.

“It’s nice that we’ve got to that position now where it’s in our own hands,” Askey explained ahead of a crucial double-header on the road over the next few days against Newport County and Salford City.

“We were a little bit disappointed we didn’t finish it off at the end [against Stevenage], it would have made a huge difference to us.

“But to say we’re in the position we’re in now, we’d have taken it two or three weeks ago.”

And it’s hard to argue with Askey. They’ve given themselves a chance and when five points from safety only a few weeks ago, that’s all you could have asked.

The Easter weekend, too, contributed to that.

An emphatic win over a Grimsby Town side struggling with post-FA Cup quarter-final trauma and fatigue was welcomed as much as a battling display against Stevenage – Pools, again, taking points from yet another promotion contender.

“I think it’s been positive,” Hartlepool’s first team coach Antony Sweeney tells The Mail.

“Before the Easter weekend, most people would have said four points is what we needed, six would have been brilliant and anything lower than four points would, depending on other results, be less than what we needed.

“So it’s probably satisfactory for us. We’ll see in the next five games just how satisfactory.”

Askey, too, sharing a similar view as Sweeney, although the Hartlepool boss couldn’t help but feel a little bit short-changed in missing out on maximum points after their second half performance against Stevenage.

“I’d have probably taken it at the start of the weekend,” said Askey.

“I’d have taken it after the first 20 minutes against Stevenage as well because we were struggling to compete.

“But the longer the game went on, again, we grew into the game and with the chances we had we were disappointed not to come away with the three points.”

That in itself tells you all you need to know about Askey.

There remains a ceiling on the highs Hartlepool are experiencing, whereas there will be a floor on the lows, should they taste defeat between now and the end of the season. He holds the reins, and they never stray too far out in front.

But perhaps they are both doing themselves a little disservice in labelling Hartlepool’s Easter as moderately ‘satisfactory.’

The win over Grimsby was not only a significant three points but it also proved they can back victories up, after the late drama against Swindon Town the week before.

The draw with Stevenage demonstrated just how difficult this side are to beat now under Askey – David Ferguson’s last ditch goal line clearance an example of just how much they’re scrapping for every point, whereas we have seen countless examples of late success when it comes to goals scored in recent weeks.

And again, it was a weekend outcome which sees their destiny remain in their hands.

It moves things along nicely to two more fixtures within quick succession, both on the road.

In Newport, Pools face a side who are near enough safe from any end-of-season jitters. Like Grimsby, it could present itself as an opportunity.

They then head to a Salford side who are in desperate need of points themselves as they look to secure a play-off spot. On paper it’s a difficult fixture.

But as Hartlepool have shown under Askey, they can be a match for teams battling it out at the top of the division, just ask Northampton Town or Leyton Orient or Bradford City.

It’s a mentality shift that has not gone unnoticed.

“I think there’s been a change around the football club in the last few weeks. Everybody has felt that,” said Askey.

“But nobody is getting carried away. We know there’s still a hell of a job to do in the next five games.

“The quicker we can get points on the board and get safe, the better but it’s made it interesting.”

Interesting, it most certainly is.

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