Hartlepool United's Nathan Sheron admits Pools have been working hard on defending since the very beginning of pre-season

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Hartlepool United midfielder Nathan Sheron admits Pools have been working on their defending since the very beginning of pre-season.

Darren Sarll's side are bidding to keep a fourth consecutive clean sheet this weekend when they entertain a Wealdstone team who have drawn a blank in their last two games; Pools managed just five clean sheets in 46 National League games last season.

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Goalkeeper Joel Dixon's return to form has certainly helped, as has the resolute partnership between Luke Waterfall and Tom Parkes as well as a strong start from new signing Billy Sass-Davies.

While the personnel is not too dissimilar to last season - Waterfall, Parkes, Dixon, David Ferguson and Louis Stephenson were all in the squad for March's humiliating 7-1 defeat to Gateshead - Pools look a much more formidable proposition under Sarll.

The combative midfielder has made an excellent start to his Pools career and set up the winning goal in midweek.The combative midfielder has made an excellent start to his Pools career and set up the winning goal in midweek.
The combative midfielder has made an excellent start to his Pools career and set up the winning goal in midweek.

There appears to be a number of important changes in how Pools defend this season, foremost among them how they deal with balls into their box.

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Pools had to contend with a barrage of set-pieces, long throws and crosses during the midweek win over Tamworth but stood up to the challenge, keeping the Lambs out despite the home side throwing everything at Joel Dixon's goal.

It was a marked contrast to last season's trip to Maidenhead when the wily Sam Barratt's long throws and pinpoint corners caused chaos in the Pools box.

Not only have Pools improved how they deal with set-plays, Darren Sarll's side have worked hard on their structure and organisation, while there's also been a shift in mentality that has seen them defend with more aggression and intent.

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Crucially, Pools are now defending as a collective and have proved themselves organised, well-structured and tough to break down.

Sheron and fellow new midfielder Jack Hunter have been at the heart of a lot of what Pools have done well so far, with the pair snapping into challenges, working tirelessly to win the ball back and having the presence of mind to maintain their defensive shape and structure.

Sheron, who has already started to establish himself as a fan favourite thanks to his tough-tackling and no nonsense approach, admits Pools have been working hard on their defending right throughout pre-season.

"It's massive," he said.

"We've done a lot of hard work in pre-season.

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"I remember on the second day of pre-season we were practising defending set-plays - I've never done that in the past so early on.

"It's obviously working well at the moment.

"There's so much work that goes on behind the scenes that we don't see and I don't think a lot of people see.

"We're working hard at the moment and hopefully we can keep reaping the rewards from it."

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