Joe Ramage: Hartlepool United's attack versus defence dilemma in relegation run-in

Of course, should they continue to lose leads, as we have seen in the last couple of weeks, things may well be decided sooner for John Askey’s side - such is the precarious nature of their Football League status.

In a week where chairman Raj Singh admitted to a number of 'shocking' mistakes at the club throughout the season, Hartlepool have actually shown some encouraging signs in larger spells under Askey before their defensive achilles heel has kicked in, causing them to drop four points from winning positions against both Tranmere Rovers and Northampton Town.

But despite those setbacks - both Askey and first team coach Antony Sweeney acknowledging each fixture as two points dropped - are we starting to see a different Hartlepool?

By that I mean; is Askey releasing the handbrake slightly in order for his side to go and attack games more?

It is a question I posed to the new manager during his first week in charge given we were not long off the back of the defeat to Newport County in which Pools failed to register a single shot on target: Is attack the best form of defence for Hartlepool in the relegation run-in?

“I think the important thing is to not concede,” said Askey.

“You can’t really go out with that approach. First and foremost you’ve got to be organised and be on the front foot.

“If you’re in the opposition’s half there’s less chance of conceding.

“We’ve got to keep it tighter. It gives you a chance if we’re hard to beat. But we’ll see. Every game is different.

“The easy part is usually keeping the ball out of the net. But obviously there’s something not right if you’re conceding so many goals so we’ve got to work and find a way where it makes it a lot harder for the opposition.

“If we can carry on scoring then that’s the recipe for success.”

And scoring is what they have been doing of late, with five in three during Askey’s run with the draw against Northampton representing the most attack-minded outlook we have seen in some time, particularly in the first half.

Of course there will be different challenges along the way - as Askey says: every game is different.

With the likes of Bradford City, Leyton Orient and Stevenage all still to come, Askey may have to switch his game plan up and be more conservative to combat their attacking threats but the very fact Hartlepool are, at least, testing the opposition is cause for some optimism.

The fixture list remains against Hartlepool, though, both in terms of its difficulty and the games in hand they succumb to from teams around them over the course of the next few weeks.

It means at some stage during this final run-in of the season, Askey may have to throw a hail mary with his side and sway even more towards attack in that attack versus defence approach.