Nicky Featherstone insists Hartlepool United have 'nothing to lose' ahead of Eastleigh clash
Hartlepool United manager Nicky Featherstone insists his side have "nothing to lose" ahead of Saturday's visit of relegation-threatened Eastleigh.
Just when Pools looked to have turned a corner at home, Featherstone's side were dealt a big blow following back-to-back defeats against Sutton United and Halifax Town, one of their direct rivals for a National League play-off place.
Pools produced one of their best performances of the entire season by beating big-spending rivals Carlisle United 3-1 at Victoria Park to move themselves within striking distance of the top seven last month.
With Pools poised to climb into the play-off places for the first time since September, however, Featherstone's side suffered an ill-timed dip in form as they were beaten twice in the space of a week, failing to score in successive home matches.
Indeed, Pools' home record makes for pretty grim reading this term, with Featherstone's side having won seven, drawn six and lost eight of their 21 games in all competitions at Victoria Park this season.
Halifax and Southend United, their two rivals for the final play-off place, have won three more home league games than Pools this term, while leaders Rochdale have won 16 of their 19 matches at Spotland, title-chasing York and fellow promotion hopefuls Boreham Wood have amassed 13 victories each and the likes of Carlisle, Scunthorpe United and Forest Green Rovers all boast considerably better home records.
It's pretty clear that if Pools are to be considered genuine promotion contenders - either this season or into the future - then their record at Victoria Park needs to improve significantly; the last time Pools were promoted from the National League, they won 14 of their 21 regular season matches on home soil, drawing three and losing just four before going on to edge out Bromley in the play-off eliminator at Victoria Park.
Once renowned as one of the most difficult places for visiting sides to come in the entire country, Victoria Park seems to have become an increasingly challenging environment for Pools to play in.
There are a whole host of possible reasons, not least the deteriorating state of the pitch as well as frequent outpourings of frustration from a long-suffering fanbase, particularly during controversial former owner Raj Singh's notoriously turbulent time in charge.
Now, though, Pools are looking to put the legacy of Singh's tumultuous reign behind them as they embark upon what many fans are hoping will be a positive and exciting new era under the stewardship of new American owner Landon Smith.
If that is to be the case, however, then Pools have a lot of work to do; since Smith completed his takeover of the club, Featherstone's side have won three and lost three of their six home matches, including a bitterly disappointing 3-0 drubbing at the hands of strugglers Aldershot Town.
Pools have the chance to improve their home record on Saturday ahead of the visit of an Eastleigh side who are on their third different manager of the season and will make the long trip to the North East just five points above the relegation zone having lost eight of their previous 14 league games.
With their play-off hopes hanging by a thread - Pools are now seven points behind Southend, who still have a game in hand, and five points adrift of Halifax - Featherstone insists his side head into this weekend's game with "nothing to lose".
"Results at home have been hard to come by, we haven't scored in the last two home games as well," the Pools boss told BBC Radio Tees Sport.
"For whatever reason, playing at home has been a little bit more difficult again this season - I say again, it's a continuous thing over the last couple of years to be fair.
"We have to rectify that somehow, it's not going to be an easy fix but it's definitely a priority for me - we want to get more results at home and be more front-footed.
"Hopefully we can go and win the game on Saturday, we've got a really good opportunity now, we want to take the game to them (Eastleigh).
"We're in a situation now where we've got nothing to lose, no one expects us to make the play-offs so we want to just go out and try and win games of football from now until the end of the season.
"It (Victoria Park) is a difficult place to play, as I've found out many times over the years when you're struggling.
"Sometimes when you aren't winning by a couple of goals at half time, there's a frustration around the place; that's not just because of the game, that's a built up frustration over a long period of time.
"We need to get away from that, I find that there can be a little bit of anxiety and a negative feel around the place at the minute when we play at home and if we aren't winning straight away.
"We have to do more, definitely, as a group of players and a group of staff it's on us to get the fans behind us; if they (the fans) can be a little bit patient, then hopefully we can give them something to shout about.
"This isn't a quick fix, there are loads of more experienced managers that have come here and struggled at home; we're a bit hit and miss, we've won games, we've lost games.
"It's a difficult place to play, but it's something that we should really use to our advantage because the times I played against Hartlepool before I was a Hartlepool player, it was always a hostile place to play and a really tough place to come.
"I've been there as a Hartlepool player as well when it's been like that, the season when we got promoted back to the EFL it was a really, really tough place for teams to come.
"Hopefully we can get back to that - it's not going to be a quick fix, like I said, it's going to take time - but hopefully we can give the fans something to shout about from now until the end of the season."