Midfielder Nathan Sheron calls for a reaction ahead of Hartlepool United's long trip to Aldershot Town
Hartlepool United midfielder Nathan Sheron has called for a reaction ahead of this weekend's long trip to Aldershot Town.
Saturday's goalless draw with newly-promoted Brackley left Sheron, who has started all of the first nine games this season, bitterly disappointed after Pools failed to score for the third time in four matches. Having started the season so well, picking up 10 points from the first 12 available, Pools are beginning to stall in recent weeks and some of their hard-won momentum is at risk of being lost. A run of five games without a win has seen Pools lose ground on their promotion rivals and fall out of the play-off places, while Saturday's lacklustre performance was a cause for concern. Despite their recent run of poor results, there have been plenty of positives to take from some of the Pools performances; manager Simon Grayson was pleased with how his side dug in after being reduced to 10 men against Boreham Wood, while Pools created more than enough chances to beat Boston. Even the defeat to Forest Green, the first time Pools had been beaten all season, was a decent enough display against one of the best side's in the division. It was hard to fathom, then, quite how Pools managed to produce such a turgid showing at the weekend.
Pools have the chance to bounce back on Saturday when they make the long trip to an Aldershot side who are themselves without a win in their last four matches. One thing's for sure, the weekend's clash is unlikely to be a repeat of the uninspiring stalemate against Brackley. Shots games are rarely short of entertainment; indeed, Aldershot are the division's leading scorers but also have the second worst defensive record under former Pools promotion-winning midfielder Tommy Widdrington. Having lost all of their first three matches, the Hampshire side beat Solihull Moors and Morecambe by an aggregate score of 9-1 but have drawn three and lost one of their last four games, conceding nine goals in the process. That leaves the Shots in 16th, two points above the relegation places. With Aldershot no doubt looking to bounce back from their defeat at promotion-contenders Carlisle last time out, Pools will have to be at their best if they're to end their winless run at the EBB Stadium this weekend.
"We came away with a point and a clean sheet, but we know ourselves that we weren't at the races, and we've got to do a lot better if we want to kick on," Sheron told The Red Radio.
"A few words were said after the game, and there was a lot of disappointment, but we feel like we've had a really good week this week. We've come in, analysed where we went wrong and where we could improve.
"They've scored a lot of goals, but they've also conceded a lot of goals. We've done a lot of work this week on where we think we can hurt them (Aldershot), and hopefully we can come back from the disappointment of last weekend, and probably the last few games, and start fresh, and hopefully go on and get three points.
"Every game we play is a tough game, regardless of where it is and who we play. I've played at this level for a while now, and what I've realised is it doesn't matter where you are in the table or how you're doing or who is in form or not - you're never going to have an easy game. I've been down to Aldershot a few times, and it's always a tough game. They're no mugs by any means, they're an experienced team, they've got some really good players. If we can take what we've worked on this week into Saturday, then hopefully we can come out on top."
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