Hartlepool United boss Dave Challinor plans to be ruthless and make changes for King's Lynn clash

Pools have suffered back-to-back defeats and slipped to 14th in the National League following Saturday’s 2-1 defeat by Boreham Wood at Victoria Park.

Challinor said after the game he’ll be making changes for the King’s Lynn fixture and made it clear to his squad things have to improve.

When asked how players reacted to that message, Challinor said: “There can’t be any reaction because they have nothing to come back at me on.

“If any of them who don’t play on Tuesday can come and give me a really good reason why they should be playing I’ll quite easily argue the fact that their view is different to what mine is and what ours is as a management team.

“We’ve backed the players who have been in there and we need to have a ruthlessness about us.

“What happens box to box is important in a game of football but the most important thing is what happens in the penalty areas and at the moment we are not doing enough to win games.

“The bits that go on in between, we get in some good areas, get in some good situations but are not ruthless enough. That’s something that we have to correct.”

Challinor is hopeful the club can sign another striker on loan before the King’s Lynn game but says others in the squad have to step up.

"This isn’t just producing what you produce on a matchday, this is producing every single day in training,” Challinor added.

"The people who aren’t in the team, it’s easy to come and say what do I need to do to get my opportunity. It’s dead simple what you need to do to get your opportunity, if you are a forward player score loads of goals in training.

“Make us make a decision that we have to play you. Going off team selection, I’d suggest that it would be pretty apparent that not many if any have done that and that has to change.”

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