Hartlepool United travel to National League rivals FC Halifax Town on Tuesday night.

Lee Clark has insisted his Hartlepool United players do not need to be ‘picked up’ after their agonising late defeat against Eastleigh as they look to return to winning ways at FC Halifax Town on Tuesday night.

Pools failed to gain reward for a hardworking performance with ten men on Friday night as a 95th minute goal from substitute Nelson Khumbeni gave the Spitfires all three points at Victoria Park after Neo Eccleston had been shown a yellow card in the early stages of the second-half. The game appeared to be heading towards a stalemate when a burst of late action saw Pools winger Jack Nolan come off the bench to go close twice before Khumbeni settled the contest with a snapshot from the edge of the area.

Lee Clark after Hartlepool United's home defeat against Eastleigh (photo Chris Fryatt) | Chris Fryatt

placeholder image — Lee Clark after Hartlepool United's home defeat against Eastleigh (photo Chris Fryatt) | Chris Fryatt

All focus now goes on Tuesday night’s trip to Halifax in what will be another tough task for Clark’s men as they look to avoid a third consecutive defeat. The Pools boss insisted there were ‘loads of positives to take’ from Friday’s loss and challenged his players to bounce back with a win at The Shay.

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He said: “I’ve told them they don’t need to be picked up. They should be proud of what they’ve given, they’ve been proud of what they’ve given to the club and the supporters there. They don’t need to be picked up. I’m absolutely delighted with that and if I get that throughout the course of the season, what we got in the second-half, we will be in a good position.

He continued: “[There were] loads of positives to take. At the end, we lost a football match, and that’s the hurtful thing because the boys didn’t deserve that - but that’s football. You’ve got to take it, you’ve got to move on, we go to the next match and you go from there. You just have to win. It is the next chance [at Halifax], it’s the next opportunity to win a football match, get back to winning ways as quickly as possible. If the lads gave what they gave us in the second-half, we will get positive results, no doubt.”

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