MATTY Robson is sure that the outcome of Hartlepool United's season will go to the wire.

And for that, he admits, they will only have themselves to blame.

Pool have dropped four points in their last three games. What could easily have been a nine-point return from games with Blackpool, Swindon and Peterborough yielded only five.

An advantage at Blackpool was squandered in the closing minutes on Easter Monday and a two-goal lead over Peterborough on Tuesday night ended up as a draw as Pool conceded two second-half goals.

Pool have just five games left, starting today at Colchester.

They also face Sheffield Wednesday next Friday, Doncaster and Walsall before ending the season at top-six rivals Bournemouth four weeks today.

Their play-off place could have been all but assured if they had hung on to their recent advantages and Robson admitted: "We just seem to keep shooting ourselves in the foot. I don't know what it is or what we do - we get ourselves in good positions and don't make the most of it.

"We were two goals up at half-time against Peterborough and the next goal wins it - or if they get a goal back it gives them a lift and gets them back into it.''

He admitted: "I think it's going to go right down to the wire and it's going to be about which team can take the bull by the horns and take the opportunity.

"There are four teams going for three places and we are one of them.

"Now we've got to come back from Colchester with something from the game.

"Against so-called bigger sides, those at the top of the table, we can lift our game and play well.''

Pool were coasting on Tuesday against a side who could be relegated this afternoon, only to concede.

"The second-half didn't start well for us,'' said Robson. "It was a good strike from distance but we were disappointed with it.

"The second goal was a fluke. It hit him on the head and went across to the other side of goal.

"It's not through the lack of trying or wanting to win the game, we were dragged down to their level.

"We've let ourselves down a few times against teams at the bottom - our record against them isn't very good. We've played Stockport, Wrexham, Wimbledon and now Peterborough. We seem to get dragged in and play at their level. We had to chase the game on Tuesday at the end and really it shouldn't be happening.

"We needed three points in that game - especially as Bournemouth won at Bristol City. It was a good chance to go fourth in the table and we blew it.

"It was in the bag at half-time and we needed to come out in the second-half and do the same.

"They will see it as a good point and fair play to them that they came back.''

Robson, who has been preferred at left-back to Hugh Robertson in recent games after a short spell in his favoured left-wing role, feels the determination in the squad to put the result behind them.

Pool won 2-1 at Layer Road last season and a win this afternoon would set them up nicely for the all-ticket visit of Wednesday next week.

"The lads know what went wrong and we were really down after the game,'' said Robson.

"We went in front without playing really well, or as well as we can.

"It was only after the first goal when we stepped it up and started passing the ball around something like we can.

"It was good to see Joel on the scoresheet again.

"He's been playing very well recently. But in the end it counted for nothing.

"It's not complacency; we are not like that. The gaffer told us at half-time what we had to do to win the game and we didn't follow it.

"In the end it was us chasing the game. They put two substitutes on at the break and they started chasing things down and that's what the other strikers weren't doing in the first-half.

"Getting back to 2-2 means our game plan had to change. It's not happening for Hartlepool at the minute.

"We are pressing teams and putting them under so much pressure and then not getting the breaks.

"Other teams are getting lucky breaks, like goals off the back of heads, and it's not going for us.

"We packed the box, brought Jon Daly on as a different option, but it wasn't to be.

Cooper is ready to make changes this afternoon, with Gavin Strachan, Micky Barron and Hugh Robertson pressing for a start.

The Pool boss: "It felt terrible after the Peterborough game - the players thought they had done enough.

"It's not complacency because I don't get that from those boys. At half-time I wrote on the board in the dressing room it was either 2-1, which got them back into it, or 3-0, which kills them off.

"It wasn't good enough. We did the really hard work by beating Swindon and getting in front against Peterborough and threw it away.''

Midfielder Mark Tinkler could be missing for the rest of the season with Achilles trouble.

He faces a minimum of three weeks out.

Read more about Hartlepool here.