HARTLEPOOL United defender Micky Nelson believes his side's storming unbeaten run will be playing on the minds of opponents.

Pool go into today's FA Cup fourth round tie at Brentford on the back of a ten-game unbeaten stretch - eight league and two FA Cup encounters.

Last week's win over Bristol City put Pool into fifth spot in League One, and with a place in the record books up for grabs today - Pool have never gone beyond round four - Nelson believes Pool hold the psychological edge.

"We are on a great run, both in the league and cup, maybe it puts a little bit of doubt and a little bit of fear in other people's minds.

"They will see we've conceded only five goals in ten games and kept five clean sheets. It makes good reading when you are going into games.

"Teams hit a sticky patch during the season and I think we have had ours before Christmas. I think our home form has seen us dominating teams, but our away form was horrendous.

"But that has turned around now and we go into every game thinking we are going to win.

"Brentford will look and see that we are unbeaten in ten, so that puts them a bit on the backfoot before the game kicks off.''

Pool have conceded just five goals during the run, with Nelson's partnership with Chris Westwood a major factor.

The run is in stark contrast to their early season form, especially on the road, when they conceded goals aplenty. Four at Milton Keynes was followed by three at both Peterborough and Luton before Pool found their travel sickness pills.

Nelson added: "Me and Westy are playing well together and have a good understanding. Earlier in the season we were conceding plenty of goals away from home, we weren't doing very well, but now we are gelling together again.

"Hopefully we can keep it going and do even better than last year.

"The last ten games have been very pleasing. We've only conceded five and no team has scored more than once against us in that run.

"We know we will always score goals because we have the players to do it and keeping them out at the other end gives us a good chance to win.''

Pool pocketed £40,000 as part of the FA prize fund from their round three victory. They took £16,000 and £24,000 for beating Lincoln and Aldershot respectively and £60,000 is at stake today.

Pool had to go to York Street to get the better of Boston, after a goalless encounter at Victoria Park.

Nelson was dominant in Boston's long-ball onslaught after Adam Boyd bagged what proved to be the winning goal and the defender admitted: "They were a big bunch of lads and they threw plenty of high balls up on us, but we kept them out.

"The pitch was poor, but it's the same for both teams. But their manager seemed to think that they outplayed us and outfought us. They might have outplayed us and had a couple more chances than us, but they never outfought us on the night.''

Pool lost 2-1 at Griffin Park earlier this season, sunk by a last minute goal on October 19.

And Nelson added: "Hopefully we can go and put on a show. We owe them one from earlier in the season when we lost with the last kick of the match.

"But it seems that just about every team we play we owe them one - Bristol, Boston and now we go down to Brentford looking to get a bit of revenge.

"They snatched a point away from us earlier in the season.

"But last week was possibly the best football we have played all season - both at home and away. I said before the game that they would come at us a little bit and not many teams come to our place and try and do that to us.

"Maybe Doncaster did it earlier in the season, they got the ball down and played, and Bristol City tried to do the same.

"That might be why we played so well, because the game was a bit more open.

"Bristol have some decent players, who have cost them a lot of money, but we restricted them and played the better football.''

Both Micky Barron and Eifion Williams are back in the squad. Barron is back from knee surgery, while Williams has recovered from the illness that forced him out of the Boston and Bristol City games.

* Pool have sold 1,467 tickets for today's game and fans can also pay on the turnstiles.

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