WHILE belief and results may be up and down, terrace support at Hartlepool United has barely wavered.

Today’s Victoria Park encounter with Burton will have a crowd of in excess of 3,000 in attendance and, while other teams struggle for crowds, Pools have remained on a level.

Only 1,700 were at Dagenham on Tuesday as they beat Pools, Accrington had 1,100 for their home game with Shrewsbury.

Seven days ago, Pools game stretched to 102 minutes after 12 minutes of added on time arrived after a serious injury to Michael Woods held the game up.

And it was during those unprecedented minutes the crowd came to the fore.

Such is the passion of the supporters, Moore admits some of his players could take note of their desire and backing.

“The support at the last home game was fantastic and even in midweek 120 people travelled down to London,’’ he reflected.

“You have to give them everything, we need to stay as a league club.

“I feel like letting half a dozen of the supporters in to speak to the players and let really feel what it is like.

“We have Buster (Gallagher, physio) and Marty (Brown, kitman) who are supporters and you see what it means to them, they are as gutted as hell.

“I was gutted too and I still have that awful feeling when you lose a game.

“You wonder whether it hurts one or two, I can’t give them that (feeling), they either have it or they don’t.

“The support has been fantastic, when you consider some of the crap they have had to watch. They are desperate for us to do well and I can’t thank them enough.

“The atmosphere was brilliant last Saturday and we will need that again.’’

Pools have taken root at the bottom of the Football League, unable to bridge the gap to safety that currently stands at seven points.

Each time they get close to cutting it back, they blow the opportunity, like in midweek losing at Dagenham.

Wins for Carlisle, York and Mansfield made their task even harder still and Moore said: “It is about what we do but we are running out of games.

“What we need more than anything is back to back wins.

“There is always someone that comes with a late run though, can we do it?

“People keep saying Wigan are down in the Championship, are they? I’m not so sure, they have enough quality.

“Someone from our league will go on a run and I don’t see why it can’t be us - but we have to improve away from home.

“Do we go back to being 4-3-3 and win on a corner? There are ifs, buts and maybes. The most important thing is winning on Saturday.’’

As results went against them in midweek, Moore said: “I was on the pitch when the tannoy announcer said Cambridge 0 York 3 and thought that can’t be right!

“It does feel like a knife in the heart when you see that, if we’d have won the game it would have been four points.

“That is how daft and how close we are to getting out the mess. You pick the 11 and hope you get a response.’’

After four wins from five home games, Pools take on second-placed Burton today desperate to keep the level of performance up at Victoria Park.

“Home form has been good, but that puts so much pressure on you at home because we’ve not won away for a long, long time and we’ve not kept a clean sheet away from home for over a year,’’ he said.

“We are in a position now where we could set up a team to go and draw 0-0, but is that any good for us now? There’s a lot to think about.

“It’s about confidence when it comes to leaders. The likes of Mirfin, promoted last year from League Two, Harewood, Flinders have been about and we needed them to come to the front for us and it never happened.

“That game was there to be won, seven corners in the first 15 minutes. It’s coming, but we need that away win quickly because the pressure at home is immense.

“The situation is stark – we said this was a massive week for us and looking at seven points. We ain’t getting that now, but we can get six so that leaves us just one point off the target.

“Burton at home, then two away – it’s no easy is it. Away records have to change sooner or later and if we get the job right on Saturday and win and then it’s down to me and Sam to sort a squad out to go away from home and get something.’’

Pools yesterday signed attacking midfielder Ebby Nelson-Addy. The 22-year-old has been on trial in recent weeks. He spent 12 years at Aston Villa before being released and has recently been with Worcester City and Brackley Town.