Pools head coach hails "special group of players" after his side edge thriller to put dent in rivals play-off hopes

While Pools might have been forgiven for taking their foot off the pedal given that a run of two games without a win left them with nothing left to play for other than pride, the hosts blitzed a Gateshead team who made the short trip to the Prestige Group Stadium knowing three points would have moved them to within touching distance of securing a play-off place.

Right from the off, a Pools side who were without influential centre-half Tom Parkes got the upper hand against a Heed outfit who have lost eight of their last 10 matches following an exodus of star players in January. The hosts, who were dominated by their rivals in the reverse fixture on Boxing Day, turned the tables with an energetic, aggressive and purposeful performance from the first whistle almost to the last. Whereas the likes of Luke Hannant and Regan Booty were given free rein to strut their stuff back in December, Gateshead's normally influential midfield were stifled thanks to the determination of Nathan Sheron, Jamie Miley and Nicky Featherstone, who was in from the start for the first time since the beginning of March. At the other end, the visitors simply could not live with the lively Reyes Cleary, while Mani Dieseruvwe and Joe Grey proved a real handful all afternoon.

Pools took the lead after 25 minutes when Luke Charman ended a run of 15 games without a goal, capitalising on the first of a number of goalkeeping errors from Tiernan Brooks, who parried Cleary's free-kick up rather than away and allowed the former Darlington frontman to bundle the ball home. The hosts, who lost Billy Sass-Davies towards the end of the first half and were forced to field a back three comprising David Ferguson, a left-back, Louis Stephenson, a teenage right-back, and Jack Hunter, a central-midfielder who hadn't featured in almost a month, doubled their advantage before the break. Cleary, sublime once again despite the close attention of Luke Hannant, managed to squirm the ball between the legs of the struggling Brooks to score the sixth goal of his blistering loan spell.

Gateshead responded after the break and Jovan Malcolm caught Adam Smith out with a free-kick three minutes after the restart. Smith had only just taken up position after scurrying across his line to organise his wall and looked to have got his angles wrong; Malcolm's free-kick, although well struck, was not in the corner and Smith managed to get his hand to the frontman's effort. Undeterred, Pools pressed on and restored their two-goal cushion 18 minutes from time when Mani Dieseruvwe produced a deft finish to score his 17th goal of another productive campaign, lifting the ball over Brooks after the Heed stopper spilled Cleary's venomous effort into his path.

The Heed were gifted a lifeline in the 90th minute when Smith, on a day full of goalkeeping mistakes, came to try to clear a cross but got nowhere near the ball with his attempted punch, allowing substitute Jamie Bramwell to head home his first Gateshead goal. Even with seven minutes of added time, the visitors rarely looked like salvaging a point as Pools continued their strong end to the campaign, winning for the fourth time in six matches.

When supporters look back on this season, there might well be one or two rueful glances towards the top seven. Pools, who are seven points adrift of the play-off places and are mathematically out of the race, might well have been able to capitalise on the struggles of the likes of Gateshead, Oldham, Halifax and Rochdale, all of whom have endured indifferent runs of late, had it not been for a miserable spell when Limbrick's side failed to win for eight successive matches.

Even so, it's clear that Pools do have a decent squad who could be very competitive if they can be more or less kept together next season. A lot of that will depend on whether or not a takeover is completed between now and the end of the campaign, with Pools running the risk of losing the likes of Mani Dieseruvwe, Joe Grey and Nathan Sheron, not to mention a whole host of other potentially ruinous consequences, if the ongoing state of limbo is allowed to drag on for much longer. Limbrick, who has long maintained his desire to focus on the football and take things game by game, admits he feels the current crop are a "special group" after Pools dealt a major blow to Gateshead's precarious play-off hopes.

"I thought we were good value for the win," he said.

"I thought we made it closer than it should have been. We started the game really well, we were aggressive and on the front foot, we pressed them really high and stopped them from playing; the game plan really worked.

"I have to give huge credit to the players, they implemented that exactly how we wanted. They were aggressive all over the pitch; it started with the front two, Mani (Dieseruvwe) and Joe Grey and then I thought the midfield three were excellent. It was an excellent start to the game.

"When we've only got one fit centre-half, it was a big risk to play Louis (Stephenson) as a right-sided centre-back, an unfamiliar position for him. Then when Billy (Sass-Davies) goes off, we kept a clean sheet from open play with no centre-backs on the pitch, so massive credit to the guys there. (Jack) Hunter coming in, he's been out sick for ages and he's only trained for one day, came in and did the job. Fergie (David Ferguson), Louis and then Cam Darcy coming on, it was excellent. Luke Charman, what a performance that was from him.

"It was a huge team performance - I think it's a special group of players. If you can get a performance like that and keep a clean sheet from open play against a team like Gateshead, they scored from a wide free-kick and a direct free-kick which we're disappointed about. I'm really happy with the players and I think they deserve all the credit."

Your next Hartlepool United read: Impressive Pools inflict major blow on rivals play-off hopes with determined display