Scott Loach using experience of Watford financial issues to see light at the end of the tunnel for Hartlepool United

While Pools financial issues may be a shock to the system to many, the 29-year-old went through exactly the same during his time at Watford.

And he thinks the players should be turning this negative into a positive, using the troubles to unite and produce the goods on the pitch.

“I am trying to use whatever is going on at this club as a positive. We need to be positive,” he said.

“All the stuff in the background, has had an impact but as players we need to rise above it.

“All we can do is play well. As a player you either have to play well to cement your place at the club for the future or put yourself in the shop window. To do either of those you have to be playing well.

“What happens behind the scenes, in my opinion, does not effect what happens when we cross those white lines.

“I get the worries. Are we getting paid, etc? But the fact is we did get paid and we are not performing on the pitch. That needs to change.

“We have got to concentrate on ourselves.

“This might be the last 15 games we play together and this is a great changing room. We have to go out and enjoy this - that’s how I am looking at it.”

The team’s campaign hit a wall back in November, and it is no coincidence that was around the time John Blackledge decided to pull the plug on Pools financially.

Loach does not feel the players have been hurt by the issues, or at least if they have they’re doing a good job of hiding it.

“If it is having an impact on players they are not saying it,” he said.

“You have got switch off from it. You just need to do your own job to the best of your ability.

“We need to make sure we drag every player through this, because it will be a 15-game battle.”