John Askey hails growing Hartlepool United spirit and reveals the big factor involved in dramatic Southend United fightback

Askey had been somewhat scathing towards his side following their opening day loss at Barnet but the response since then has been remarkable as Hartlepool have gone on to win three straight games in the league for the first time in 18-months after an enthralling contest at Roots Hall.

Pools, again, had to show their resilience against Southend United who went into an early lead when Jack Bridge was able to convert from close range inside just five minutes from Harry Cardwell’s knockdown.

It was a slow start from Askey’s men but they were able to climb back into the game through Tom Crawford’s first goal of the season when he found the bottom corner from the edge of the area just before the half hour mark.

But Pools suffered another setback early in the second half when Gus Scott-Morriss stooped low to head home Callum Powell’s cross with Askey’s side down to 10 men after Emmanuel Dieseruvwe was forced off with an injury.

Hartlepool levelled again, though, when Dieseruvwe’s replacement, Joe Grey, made an instant impact from the bench to power home from inside the area.

And Pools weren’t done there as Charlie Seaman, who grabbed his first goal for the club in the midweek win over Maidenhead United, scored another spectacular goal in front of the travelling fans to seal all three points.

"We started really slowly, it was frustrating,” Askey explained to BBC Radio Tees.

"You’re always fearful when you travel a long way that people aren’t going to be at it, and maybe be a little bit lethargic, and that was the case.

"We just didn’t get going at all from the first second. We should have cleared our lines for the first goal and it was another slow start [in the second half]. You expect them to come out and have a go. It’s a decent crowd and it’s always been a tough place to come here.

"But we’ve come through it in the end. To get a result here is fantastic so early on in the season, it just keeps the momentum going. They showed a lot of character.”

He added: "I had a go at them before the game to try and gee them up because you could feel it a little bit before the game, and that’s what I was worried about.

"Things like that today will only give them confidence if it happens again. Hopefully it doesn’t happen again, but if we’re in a situation where we’ve gone a goal down then we still have that belief we can do something.

“But the fitness levels of the players is a big factor. We’re still running in the last few minutes. You can see teams wilting a little bit and we’re able to step up.

"That was the case towards the end of last season as well – we scored a lot of goals late on – but it’s just nice to come here and get a win."