Lee Clark responds to red card problem for Hartlepool United.

Under-fire Hartlepool United head coach Lee Clark admits his side’s run of red cards is ‘becoming a problem’.

On Wednesday night, former Hartlepool United midfielder Tom Crawford came back to haunt Pools and heap more pressure on boss Clark with Pools beaten 2-1 away at Altrincham in the National League.

Crawford netted the decisive goal nine minutes from time against ten-man Pools following Jack Hunter’s red card after two yellow card offences. Defeat leaves Pools 16th, with five defeats in the opening eight league games - a campaign in which Pools had been targeting promotion.

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When asked about the third red card in five games, Clark, speaking to BBC Tees Sport at Altrincham following defeat, said: “It’s becoming a problem for me because what is starting to happen now is I am on tenterhooks when players get yellow carded because that’s three times it’s happened now and I’m having to make substitutions for players that are getting yellow carded.

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“It’s hard enough because we are getting players coming down like Liam Gibson, who wasn’t very well overnight, he couldn’t play anymore, he was really struggling with his breathing so you make a sub there.

“We are down to the bare bones defensively. We lose Jack, we lost Neo [Eccleston], Max [Kouogun] is injured, Reiss [McNally] is one yellow from five yellows and a ban and it looks like we will have to start doing what I hate doing, putting square pegs into round holes.

“It’s also costing us the games in-play. If that’s eleven-v-eleven, we don’t lose that. “Tonight, the two bits of indiscipline have come from very experienced players, haven’t they? So we have got to take that one the chin.”