CHRIS Turner is well aware of the perils of the play-offs.

After losing to Blackpool in last season's end of season shake-up, Pool have yet to find the form that catapulted them into fourth place in Division Three.

A return of six points from nine games has left Pool at the foot of the table, level on points with bottom-placed Exeter and one point and one place behind today's opponents Carlisle.

Pool entertain perennial strugglers Carlisle at Victoria Park still seeking their first home win of the season.

Despite going down 2-0 at Lincoln on Tuesday, Turner who yesterday signed Gordon Watson until the end of the season won't tolerate any long faces at Victoria Park and has his sights fixed on the upper reaches.

"Maybe it's all down to expectations,'' he said. "That's the expectations of the fans, of managers, chairmen and players. After getting into the play-offs everyone expects the next year is their year.

"Other players know they are up against a good team when they play someone from the play-offs the season before and raise their game a little bit.

"Then when it doesn't happen maybe it's looked upon as a bit of a crisis and it becomes hard to get out of it.

"Two seasons ago it happened to Orient and it wasn't until Christmas time that they started to recover. Last season Barnet went down and they were in the play-offs the season before.

"They were doing OK until we beat them at their place and they went into freefall.

"But I've said all along the season is a long one. It's all about sequences of results. We are having a bad sequence at the moment but we'll come out of it.

"What we need is a Blackpool-type run. We beat them at their place last September when they were second bottom and look where they ended up.

"I'm not saying that's going to happen here and we are going to do this or that, but I know what we are capable of.''

And the Pool chief admitted: "If we were getting hammered by three or four every week and playing poorly then I'd be worried and asking questions.

"But we have quality players here and they are not playing badly. We have been unfortunate in three or four of those games and if we had done better in those we would be inside the top half.''

Watson arrived at Victoria Park last week and made such an impression, Turner moved quickly to tie him down to an extended contract.

He scored on his debut against Kidderminster seven days ago and Turner said: "He's showed in the two games he's played what a good player he is.

"He's scored one and could have had a couple more. He is a quality player and even though he's been out of the game he's as fit as a fiddle.

"He wants to get back into the game and we are fortunate to get someone like him in. Ken Hodcroft and IOR have supported me since day one and again they are 100 per cent behind me.''

Turner has Kevin Henderson pushing for a recall this afternoon and he could form a new-look strikeforce with Watson. Skipper Micky Barron and fellow defender Graeme Lee are also fit and are likely to be on the bench

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