Graeme Lee concerned by Hartlepool United's slow starts in recent weeks despite good run of form

Despite their good run of form over the last month, Pools have fallen behind in four of their last six games in League Two where Lee has been forced to invoke a reaction from his players in the second half of games.

Pools saw their eight game unbeaten run come to an end last time out against Walsall having found themselves 2-0 down inside 25 minutes at the Banks’s Stadium after a sluggish start.

It was the third time in a week Lee’s side fell behind having done so on home soil against Sutton United, where Pools would ultimately come back to claim a point thanks to Tom Crawford’s first goal of the season, and at Colchester United, where Omar Bogle and Isaac Fletcher were able to turn the game on its head and claim all three points.

But unfortunately for Lee and his side, despite Bogle’s strike just after the hour mark at Walsall, Pools were unable to repeat their good fortune as they slipped to a 3-1 defeat.

And it has been the culmination of Pools struggling to start games on the front foot at times that has led to Lee admitting his concern.

“It’s a worry. I’d much rather not have to come from behind in games,” Lee told The Mail.

“Sometimes you can’t affect it if someone scores a great goal or whatever but we’ve started not quite on the front foot recently but then we’ve been able to react to it.

“I don’t like doing it in the sense that you don’t want to continue to concede. But I always think if we stay in the game we’ve got a chance.

“We reacted again in the second half [at Walsall] but you’re giving yourself a battle every time you do it and it’s a challenge.

“It would be nice to go into half-time a couple of goals ahead and kick on.”

While Lee has praised his side for their ability, and willingness, to come back in games, the Pools boss believes his players will need to perform the ugly side of the game better if they are to avoid falling behind during the first half.

“We’ve got to have a look at it and if it means being a bit ugly in the first part of the game then be a bit ugly,” said Lee.

“Sometimes you’ve got to earn that right to play the game. It's not all about being able to get it down and play with fantastic football, you’ve got to earn that right and we’ve got to make sure we do that.

“You have to battle, you have to win challenges, you have to win headers, you have to win second balls and it’s about those habits.

“If we can do that as a team, then we’ve got quality who can hurt teams.”

Lee will be hoping his side can avoid a slow start when they return to action on Saturday lunchtime when they make the trip to face Harrogate Town at the Envirovent Stadium.

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