'It's keeping that belief' - Graeme Lee reveals what his Hartlepool United side must do ahead of Carlisle United clash

Pools travel to Brunton Park tonight to face a Cumbrians side who have found a little bit of form in the New Year taking seven points from nine to drag themselves away from danger in the League Two table.

And Pools must find a way to pick themselves up after a demoralising late defeat at Bristol Rovers on Saturday.

Lee insisted it was Pools’ best performance under his tenure so far but it did not yield any return as late goals from Aaron Collins and Antony Evans made it an even longer trip home for Pools.

But Lee knows his side must keep believing and take the positives from their performance at the Memorial Stadium into tonight’s clash at Brunton Park.

“It’s difficult. We all know the situation that we demand off each other in the changing room. It’s keeping that belief that the performance, and how it was, was fantastic,” Lee told The Mail.

“We controlled the majority of the game so we’ve got to look at the positives.

“It’s our job as staff to re-emphasise that and to make sure that we’re ready and raring to go and planning on what we can do for Carlisle.

“You want to get back on the pitch,” he added.

“Whether you’re winning games or whether you lose, you want to get back on the pitch.

“But I want us to get back out there. You want to stop the worry. We just need to take our chances. If that’s on Tuesday night then bring it on.”

While the trip to Carlisle is not strictly a derby game, it is a fixture which holds a little bit more significance than others in the League Two season.

The two sides have been intertwined by a number of players who have journeyed from East to West or West to East over the years and Lee is looking forward to his first taste of the fixture as a manager.

“Carlisle away has always been one to look forward to. I can remember playing those games,” said Lee.

“They’re a well supported club so we’re looking forward to it, but I’m concentrating on us and our performance.”

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