THERE’S little room for error at Hartlepool United. The team which has lost more home games than it has won in each of the last eight seasons has started the new campaign with a draw and a defeat in front of their own fans.

You can call it Victoria Park, the Super 6 Stadium of whatever you like, but Pools don’t seem to win there. Supporters trudge away feeling disappointed on more occasions than they care to remember.

Last Tuesday against Harrogate Pools were denied by a last-minute leveller, while on Saturday Ebbsfleet gave an accomplished away performance.

However, if Pools had taken their chances at the weekend – and they had plenty – then they would have been off and running.

They created enough openings to win, had clear openings, but were only once denied by a fine save from the visiting goalkeeper.

And that was when they were trailing.

Boss Matthew Bates has been around the club for long enough to understand the problems at home. He spoke openly and positively in the summer about changing the outlook and mentality there.

He’s introduced a new formation, 3-4-3, designed to attack the opposition in numbers and be more positive. Pools have started their two home games on the front foot.

“It’s only two home games in, but we haven’t won either,’’ reflected Bates. “The performances have been good and home form will, I have no doubt and the players do too, be a lot, lot better this season.

“The players know deep down when they have done well and also when they have been hard done by and they were here.

“Supporters will, I understand, go home thinking ‘here we go again’ but that’s not the case.

“There’s no anxiety at home this year, I don’t feel it when there was a bit of it last season. I felt it a bit when Andrew went off, but that’s only natural.’’

Pools should have been out of sight in the first-half, but when they weren’t then the doubts do start to creep in.

There were chances for Peter Kitching, Andrew Davies (two), Jake Cassidy and Luke James. But when they weren’t taken, the visitors started to get a foothold in the game.

Their 3-5-2 set-up gave them an extra body in the middle of the pitch. With so many central midfielders in his squad – there were no places for either Michael Woods or Lewis Hawkins on Saturday: “We have 16 players in the squad, the players weren’t in the squad today. It’s down to players to give me a decision from what I see in training. I’m sure there’s disappointment amongst players’’ – could Pools switch?

Luke James and Niko Muir are willing to drop deeper when necessary, but it’s too early to be talking of changing systems or formation. Bates should stick with his preferred set-up.

Paddy McLaughlin could have scored before Pools trailed, but Marcus Dinanga got in his eyeline as he looked to head home and the distraction meant he pushed it wide.

He was then denied by a fine save from the visiting keeper.

But in between the chances, Pools trailed. Without Andrew Davies, forced off with an ankle injury, Louis Laing lunged enthusiastically into a challenge with the rotund Danny Kedwell and missed out.

He got away, picked out Corey Whitley and he turned the ball home from an angle.

After McLaughlin’s curling effort, Pools created little. Home nerves to the fore? There was little for the crowd to cheer and the opposition saw it out with little fuss and the odd spot of approved timewasting.

Bates added: “We can be positive from the performances so far. It’s fine margins in the game at all levels. Individual errors can cost goals and it doesn’t matter about the rest. We need to realise chances don’t come along too often and it has to hurt when we miss.

“We could have been ahead at half-time. They had chances, but Scott Loach hasn’t had enough to do, his quietest day of the three. We were busy in front of goal and came away losing.

“You can only say it’s football so many times.

“We didn’t take our chances and I’m sure there’s games when we don’t play well and win games. They were a good side and they didn’t play the way I felt they would. But again it’s about what happens in the two boxes – we weren’t great in their box and in ours either.’’