Pools head coach insists his side won't take anything for granted ahead of visit of relegated Ebbsfleet
Hartlepool United head coach Anthony Limbrick insists his side won't be taking Ebbsfleet lightly as Pools look to win for the third game in a row this weekend.
It's been a nightmarish season for the Fleet, who were relegated late last month and have won just two of their 40 National League games so far this season; the Kent side beat Pools in the reverse back in September and edged past Fylde last month. The statistics certainly don't make for good reading - Ebbsfleet have lost 14 and drawn six of their 20 away games this season and have a goal difference of -53. Danny Searle, who helped the Fleet beat the drop at the back end of last season, was sacked after picking up just one point from the first seven matches this term, while Harry Watling got off to a winning start against Pools but failed to repeat the feat in any of his next 12 games. It has been left to skipper Josh Wright to pick up the pieces; the 35-year-old took a step away from playing to take charge following Watling's departure in December. While it's taken some time for results to improve, Ebbsfleet have been far more competitive and will arrive in the North East unbeaten in their last three league games.
Despite being the division's lowest scorers by some distance - the Fleet have only managed 32 goals in 40 league games this term - Wright's side will be hoping they can hurt Pools. George Moncur, who had been impressing on loan at the Kuflink Stadium, left parent club Leyton Orient to sign a permanent deal last month as has three goals in 15 games, while frontman Aaron Cosgrave has two in his last two. Although Pools are brimming with confidence following a recent upturn in form that has seen them draw two and win two of their last four matches, Limbrick insists his side won't be taking anything for granted on Saturday.
"I think they've got a lot of good players," he said.
"Dominic Poleon and Rakish Bingham, who haven't been starting regularly, have scored goals in the past and I think Cosgrave has done really well recently. He leads the line, runs the channels and gets in-behind. He's a good player.
"I think Moncur is a threat. We played against him when he was at Southend earlier in the season and he was a handful, he gets in-between the lines, he can play combinations and he's a clever footballer. I remember seeing him at Orient, Colchester and Hull, he's had a good career.
"They've scored a few goals from set-plays recently and we need to be aware of that. They can hurt teams and they've shown that in the past few weeks, scoring three goals against Aldershot, two against Altrincham and winning against Fylde. It's a really tricky game and we'll be very aware of what Ebbsfleet can do, but also focusing on ourselves and looking to stamp our authority on the game early on."