LEWIS ALESSANDRA thinks sorting out Hartlepool United’s home form can kickstart a charge up League Two.

Pools are looking to end their search for a home win at Victoria Park this Saturday when Leyton Orient arrive in the North-East.

Orient will be well aware of Hartlepool’s home form, given they have drawn five and lost one of their six games on their own patch so far this season.

Such a record has prevented them from really being in the promotion mix because Hartlepool are only three points off a play-off spot as things stand.

Alessandra said: “We need to get it sooner rather than later. I'm confident that it is coming. I think it will be next week.

“We don't want this to be something that is hanging over us for a while. I'd hate us to be talking about this in three or four weeks.

“We can learn lessons from Saturday when we lost at Carlisle and the home games before that, and go into the game looking to win it.”

Alessandra, 27, has scored in Hartlepool’s last two matches but those have only helped to earn a point from a possible six.

The defeat at Carlisle last weekend was the biggest frustration, though, because the Cumbrians only had ten men for the final 34 minutes of the game – and Pools conceded twice after the sending off of Shaun Miller.

It was a reversal that saw Hartlepool’s six-match unbeaten run come to an end when they were threatening to break into the top seven.

Alessandra said: “We are frustrated at where we are in the table. There are so many times this season where we feel we should have had more points. This can't continue.

“We have quality in every area of the pitch but our results and our league position is not showing that.

We are so close to getting in the top seven mix.

“Points dropped is all we seem to talk about these days. We should have had three and we come away with nothing. It just seems like that's the tale of our season.

“Dropping points is killing us. We need to get that right. We have lost our little unbeaten run which is another blow but we will go again next weekend.”

Pools have since learned they will face Stamford in the first round of the FA Cup at home after they beat Wrexham last night. 

And manager Craig Hignett said: “I think it’s a good draw for us – you always want to be at home in any cup match.

“It’s a good one for us because we know that if we prepare right and play to our potential then we will have a great chance of progressing.

“It’s not a given my any means. Whoever got through will play above themselves and enjoy the occasion so we will have to be ready for that and be at our best.”