Keith Curle makes significant Hartlepool United admission following January transfer business

Curle was successful in landing several new additions at the Suit Direct Stadium over the course of the mid-season transfer window to overhaul his struggling side having seen his interim manager title changed to a permanent status in December.

And the Hartlepool boss named all 11 of those players in his match day squad for their trip to Doncaster Rovers.

Eight of those 11 January recruits were in the starting line-up, four of which were earning their Pools debut, and they would reward Curle as his new look side claimed a vital win over Doncaster at the Eco-Power Stadium thanks to one of those new recruits, Dan Dodds' late strike.

It leaves Curle with 17 games of the season to ensure Hartlepool can remain in the Football League - with this now able to be considered as more of a ‘Keith Curle team.’

And with that comes pressure. Pressure to succeed - something which Curle does not mind.

“Yeah, now the pressure is on me,” said Curle.

“If anything goes wrong, blame me. I’ve got four months to gain enough wins, but I don’t mind that.

“There’s going to be twists and turns. But we need to maintain the level of confidence, attitude and application that we showed today.

“There was evidence of good understanding and willingness to do what’s required.”