GOOD teams win games, they string victories together, chalk up victory after victory. Poor teams don’t. It’s three years since Hartlepool United managed to won four games in a row.

Pools went into their game with Guiseley looking to make it 12 points from 12 on offer. Instead they lost to the bottom side in the National League.

They missed a few chances to secure that win and a touch of defensive calamity from Louis Laing in injury time meant the run engineered by Ronnie Moore and Sam Collins in August 2015 remains a benchmark out of reach, one to adhere to.

That’s why Pools are 16th in the National League; this season will see them finish in their lowest position ever.

After three wins and two draws from five games, they should have saw off Guiseley. Maybe the exertions of raising their game and a Good Friday haul back from Maidstone had taken a lot out of them.

Whatever the reason, there was no excusing Laing’s mistake.

“That was frustrating at the end – I think we were good in spells and in possession. Our sloppiness left us open at times,’’ admitted caretaker boss Matthew Bates.

“We were done by a sucker punch at the end – the message is we carry on and move on.

“Laingy held his hands up after the game, he was devastated but mistake aside he was outstanding and he has been in recent games. You have to handle that side of it and move on and not let it affect you.

“It’s a mistake, it’s down to an individual mistake which you can’t legislate for. He has been a colossus at the back in recent games.

“It’s massively important to move on and we have had a chat about it already. He is in a better place now than he was recently and I’m sure he will be fine.’’

In front of new owners Raj Singh and Jeff Stelling – their takeover will go ahead in the next couple of days – who were accompanied by Craig Hignett and Gary Pallister, there was little to cheer from the off on the dankest of days.

It was 17 minutes before the first effort. Pools’ teenage midfielder Josh Hawkes picked up a loose ball and drilled a low shot wide from 20 yards.

The next shot, 15 drab minutes later, came when Connor Newton’s sliced effort sailed out for a throw in on the far side, some 20 yards up the touchline.

Louis Laing brushed a header wide from a deep corner. At the start of the second half a corner dropped in the six-yard box and was lumped clear with no Pools player there to pounce.

It was hard to break down the nine visitors behind the ball. If anything Pools were guilty of knocking the ball square across the pitch too much.

But some direct play from the visitors could have brought the opener.

A long punt forward was missed by Laing – worse to come later - and it left Dayle Southwell on goal, the attacker denied a smart Scott Loach save.

Devante Rodney latched onto a long pass from Blair Adams, brushing aside defender Victor Nierennold. But his drive into the area was halted when he was nudged off the ball too easily.

The visitors should have gone in front on the hour. Lewis Hawkins got in a mess and gave the ball to Dayle Southwell, with an open goal in front of him he curled wide. It was a let off for Pools from a howler of a defensive mistake. There was still time for one of epic proportions to come.

Substitute Rhys Oates, on for Rodney, turned and fired at goal, but keeper Joseph Green, earlier guilty of some suspect handling and some generous refereeing to spare his blushes, kept hold.

Michael Woods had an opening in the area – but defying the confidence of a midfielder with three goals in two games opted to pass instead of shoot and the chance was lost.

Ryan Donaldson made his return, after being out since September with an ankle injury. Picked out by Woods at the back post he stretched to head over from 12 yards.

Donaldson then created space to cross, Oates headed on and the ball was out of the reach of Newton and Woods.

In injury time, Jake Cassidy collected the ball in his own half, went forward and kept going. Rather than pass to Donaldson to his right he was intent on going alone, but fired over the bar from 20 yards.

Chance wasted, and it was a costly one.

Laing got in an appalling mess under no pressure, losing any sense of composure. He headed the ball into the ground, and fell over, gifting the ball to Southwell, who made no mistake this time.

Within seconds it was full time. Laing pounded the floor in frustration. The damage was already done and it was a lot worse than an indent in the playing surface.