IT’S the first time it’s happened a long, long time but there’s a new sensation at Hartlepool United: a feelgood factor.

A decade ago success was a regular occurrence, but that’s dried up now and achievement these days is measured in a different way.

However, if Pools survive as a Football League team this season and get out of the bottom two, the deed will be as big as anything racked up in the past.

Dead and buried, down and out a matter of two weeks ago Pools have won three games in a row and sit a point away from safety.

Victory tomorrow over Cambridge and they should be out of the bottom two.

“Everybody feels great at the moment, there is a feelgood factor,’’ reflected boss Ronnie Moore, who yesterday signed striker Jordan Hugill on loan from Preston.

Hugill is a former Northern League striker, who has been on loan at Tranmere this season and has previously been at Port Vale. He’s made six appearances for North End this season, but suffered from a serious knee injury early in the campaign.

Moore added: “A month ago there wasn’t many that would thing we’d be in this position - we have always had the belief and the desire though.

“This league is so wide open and anybody can beat anybody on their day.

“As a manager it can be hard when you haven’t kept a clean sheet away from home for 12-months - you won’t win too many if that happens.

“Then we get two in three days and three wins in a week, that changed the whole attitude.’’

And tellingly, Moore added: “That’s not just at our club but at others too, who thought we were dead and buried.

“Now there are two spots that everybody has to worry about.

“We are in good form and it shows how far we have come in a short while.

“We have the belief and played as a team and worked our socks off - the harder you work, the luckier you get.

“I have seen massive improvements, especially in our away form.’’

Middlesbrough-born Hugill will start tomorrow after Ryan Bird returned to Cambridge after a month on loan.

He started at Seaham Red Star, and then Consett, but left in August 2010 to spend two years at the Glenn Hoddle Academy in Spain.

Whitby and Marske were next on his list, before signing professional terms with Port Vale.

“I’m made up to get Jordan in, he is a good player,’’ added Moore. “It hasn’t worked out for him at Tranmere.

“There was one or two in for him and with him being from Middlesbrough, that will have helped us, and we are in a bit of form now and maybe he wouldn’t have come a month ago.

“At this present time, everybody can see we have a chance. He will come in and get goals for us. He will come and go straight in.

“Preston are looking for him to get games, which he didn’t get an awful lot at Tranmere - he will definitely get a run here.’’

Pools yesterday sold out of their 2,000 allocation for the vital game at York City on April 11.

“It’s an unbelievable response from our supporters,” said Moore. “For a club in our position at the bottom of the league to take 2,000 fans to an away game is fantastic and it just shows how important this is to the town.’’

And, with ticket prices reduced to £10 tomorrow, Pools are hoping for a bumper crowd at Victoria Park.

“The fans have been absolutely unbelievable 3,500 coming in every week watching the bottom of the league. Home and away, they get behind the players,’’ added Moore.

“The chairman has done well to put it on again and with there not being many other games, we are hoping over 5,000 will come through.

“They have nothing to do on Saturday -get behind us. We want to be staying in the Football League.”