John Askey's blunt message after Hartlepool United's unbeaten home run came to an end against Woking

Hartlepool’s long wait for a clean sheet under Askey continued after they suffered their first defeat at the Suit Direct Stadium since April having also been shut out on the scoreboard themselves for the first time this season.

Pools conceded two goals in the space of three minutes in the second half – similar to the quickfire nature of their goals conceded against Oxford City in the recent 5-2 defeat at Marsh Lane, as Ricky Korboa’s double ended Hartlepool’s 100 per cent record on home soil.

Korboa met Padraig Amond’s knockdown in the area and he was able to jink and jive away from both Luke Hendrie and Emmanuel Onariase before scrambling an effort at goal which diverted in off Hendrie to beat the flailing Pete Jameson.

And just three minutes later Woking’s front two combined again as Korboa latched onto a hopeful flick back from Amond on the angle of the area and was able to cut inside before beating Jameson with a low strike.

Pools, who had struck the post twice in the first half through Emmanuel Dieseruvwe and David Ferguson, provided little in the way of a response as the game drifted away from them which meant a first home defeat since the pivotal 2-0 loss to Crawley Town last season – that also being the last time Askey’s side failed to find the back of the net themselves.

And Askey was left to painfully assess yet more defensive woes from his side.

"We started really slowly,” admitted Askey.

"I think the wind had an effect in the first half but the longer the game went on we grew into it and created a couple of very good chances that we should have scored from and then it was the same old story: we can’t defend.

"You might concede one, but for one to become two in such a short space of time, and both from similar sorts of positions, then it becomes really difficult.”

Askey has repeatedly lamented his side's defensive frailties and has often said of the need to strengthen his defence if the players available to him are not up to scratch – something he again suggested following the defeat to Woking.

"We’ve got to defend better than what we’re doing and we’ve been saying that from day one,” he said.

"We need to bring somebody in if the ones that we’ve got can’t do the job that we’re asking of them.

“But it’s tough,” he added.

"You can see in the games there’s not a lot in them. I know for 60 minutes at Oxford you’re thinking everything is hunky-dory and then, through poor defending, it all goes pear-shaped.

"Today you look at the result but there’s not that much between the two sides. So we’ve got to find a way of shoring up at the back that enables us to still play decent football.”