Josh Hawkes discusses Craig Hignett’s influence, penalty pressure and his Hartlepool United play-off aspirations

The attacking midfielder added two more goals to his haul at Boreham Wood on Saturday as Pools extended their unbeaten run under Hignett’s leadership.

And Hawkes is delighted to be once again working under a manager who he feels brings out the best of his ability.

“He gives me a lot of confidence,” he said.

“He says all the time, just keep going and when you get the chances around the box, have your shots.

“Anything can happen when you shoot.

“He gives me a lot of confidence to go and play and I enjoy working under him.”

Hignett’s three games in permanent charge have brought about a clear improvement, with Pools keen to get on the front foot and stamp their authority on games.

Hawkes believes such a style of play is ideally suited to the players at the Super 6 Stadium.

“He just wants to play a lot more,” he added.

“I think that suits the players we have here.

“As much as he and we want to score, we have to make sure we don’t concede - and I think at Boreham Wood the defence were good.”

The new attacking style has certainly proved effective in bringing out the best in Hawkes, with the 20-year-old having netted three times in three appearances since the managerial change.

Two of those goals have come from the penalty spot with the youngster having assumed penalty duties from Liam Noble after his miss against Leyton Orient.

That role hasn’t daunted Hawkes, who is just happy to see the goals continue to flow - no matter where they come from.

“I scored the first penalty so I had a bit of confidence,” he said.

“The one against Braintree, there was a bit more pressure on that one because it was 1-1 and we needed another goal.

“There, we were 2-0 up so there was a bit less pressure on it.

“I was good to score and get another penalty.

“Obviously you like to score the good goals but they all count the same though, don’t they?

“Penalties or shots from outside the box or inside the box, I don’t mind.”

Next up for Pools is a trip to Ebbsfleet this evening (7:45pm kick-off), and Hawkes is delighted to see the games coming thick and fast,

“It’s good, the more the games you’re getting then you’re getting fitter,” added the midfielder

“The confidence is getting high. When you’re not winning, the games coming can be bad.

“But when you’re winning and want the unbeaten run to continue, it’s good to keep the games coming.”

And Hawkes is refusing to rule out a late surge for the play-offs should Pools continue their rich vein of form.

“We’ve just got to take each game as it comes,” he said.

“The more we can win and move up the table, the better, and we’ll see where we are come the end of the season.

“I think if we keep going on like we have, I don’t think we’ll be too far away from the play-offs.”