Joe Ramage: Hartlepool United victory was overdue but could injuries derail any resurgence?

To say it has been a difficult season so far at the Suit Direct Stadium would be an understatement, but it can be remarkable just how much a win can lift spirits and mask issues, albeit temporarily.

Hartlepool needed that win against Grimsby. The club needed it, the players and staff needed it and the supporters craved it. But while it was nice to rejoice and toast what has been an all too rare win on a Saturday afternoon, fuelled by the intrigue as to whether interim boss Keith Curle was successful in his quest for a hat-trick, the reality of Hartlepool’s situation quickly resurfaces when you look at both the league table and the injured list.

Pools are off the bottom and are back in the hunt, though a handful of teams continue to hold a game in hand over them, but Curle is going to be forced to get the absolute maximum from the players at his disposal as injuries persist. Up to seven players are missing from action at the time of writing, most of whom would likely feature, or be in contention, on a regular basis. But the most worrying of those absentees is defender Rollin Menayese.

The Walsall loanee has, arguably, been Pools’ best defender this season and his loss since the win over Doncaster Rovers has been noticeable. With full-back Jamie Sterry also injured, it has led to Curle being forced into bringing academy star Louis Stephenson into the squad - such are the lack of numbers in defence.

And those numbers may get worse before they get better. Menayese’s ankle issue remains somewhat indefinite after he was required to receive a secondary opinion, while Alex Lacey is now just one yellow card away from a suspension that would leave only Euan Murray as a recognised centre-back.

Curle has been forced to squeeze round pegs into square holes over recent weeks which, again, shines light on the summer business in leaving the squad short defensively. While both Murray and Lacey have steadied, slightly, over the last week, their start to life at Hartlepool has been difficult to say the least.

Had there been alternatives, one, or both, may have benefited from a game or two out of the firing line this season - but that has been a luxury ill-afforded to Curle or previous manager Paul Hartley.

It makes Curle distancing himself from any free agent signings particularly unusual as he continues to stress he does not see value for money as things stand. That means Hartlepool may have to ride out their injury storm on a whim between now and the New Year, but, with seven league games between now and then, their defensive issues may persist.

Injuries are part and parcel of football but Pools are dealing with a lot. It means they are going to have to find every ounce of the spirit they used in coming from behind to beat Grimsby if they are to stay in touch heading into the transfer window.