KEVIN Henderson gets another chance to show he's the man to end Hartlepool United's sticky spell tomorrow.

Henderson has been a permanent fixture on the Pool bench this season and is pushing misfiring strikers Marcus Richardson and Eifion Williams for a starting role this weekend.

Pool entertain Bournemouth on Saturday, seeking their first goals from a striker in seven attempts - and Henderson is desperate for the chance to break that duck.

The Third Division leaders lost at Bristol Rovers on Saturday and entertain Bournemouth at home this weekend.

But first, Henderson is determined to make the most of his chance in tomorrow's home reserve game against Grimsby.

He knows a good performance on the back of his lively substitute outing at the weekend could propel him into Mike Newell's thoughts.

"We're at home on Saturday, so it gives us a great chance to get back,'' he said. "And I've got a reserve game on Wednesday, so that might give me a chance to show what I can do again.

"We looked off the pace in the first half at Bristol, but we gradually improved and in the last 15 or 20 minutes we had all the play but nothing would drop for us.

"When you get so much ball in the box, that's what you need to happen, but they were defending so deep in there late on we couldn't get in behind them. We needed a ricochet or a second ball and it just never looked like it was going to happen for us.''

He added: "They had a back seven at times so we couldn't get in behind them, then with the midfield in front we couldn't get anything dropping deeper either. Then we started hammering long balls in there, but that's not our style is it? We like to get it down and play it about.

"It worked against us, but they were happy to hang on to a one- goal lead.

"They raised their game against us, no doubt about it. We've been at the top now for so long that maybe a few bad results are what we needed to encourage us raise our game for the run-in to make sure we get what we want.

"Now we will have to regroup and beat Bournemouth next Saturday.''

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