HARTLEPOOL UNITED’S players have been warned to expect the unexpected when they attempt to turn the heat up on their promotion rivals over the next four days at Victoria Park.

Pools boss Craig Harrison wants to see his team deliver back-to-back victories when Aldershot and Halifax travel to the North-East – results that would significantly improve the club’s record on their own patch.

They failed to capitalise when they last had consecutive games at Victoria Park, drawing 1-1 with Sutton and Tranmere, so Harrison views the next two opponents as ideal opportunities to improve on their mid-table position in the National League.

Hartlepool have not been dreadful at home, highlighted by just one defeat in six and three losses all season, but he knows the situation can certainly be improved upon.

Harrison is braced for Aldershot this afternoon and Halifax on Tuesday to turn up with different approaches, and that is the message he has stressed to his players ahead of today’s kick-off.

“Our home form has to get better,” said Harrison. “We have to win more games at home. I am big on stats and facts and they play a huge part in football. We haven’t been as good as we have to be at home and back to back games gives us a chance to get higher up the table to where we should be.

“Other elements come into it. Sutton and Tranmere the other week, both played a completely different way to what they had when we watched them – different formations, systems and styles.

“It’s a backhanded compliment to us and now we have to make sure we are switched on enough and prepared enough to combat that.

“Teams are coming here and sitting back and changing their regular tactics. Sutton were 4-4-2 before playing us when they went 4-5-1 here, Tranmere had been three at the back and then switched to put an extra man in midfield to stop us having possession.”

That is why Harrison does not want his players to be restricted to just one way of playing, knowing how quickly a match can be turned by a tactical shift.

He said: “We have plan A and plan B and then we don’t have a lot of footage of Tranmere playing 4-5-1 as they don’t do it. So we look at plan C and plan D to counter it. But the bottom line is we need to win more games at home.

“It’s nothing to do with tactics at times, we need to come up with a plan to win more at home. We have two home games to come, positive results will put us up there. The table is tight and has been for a while, I can see it being like that for the rest of the season.”

Despite Hartlepool’s inconsistencies this season they are still firmly in the mix for promotion. Even though they sit in 12th position, two victories should have a significant impact at the top end of the table where they are only eight shy of leaders Dover and seven behind second placed Macclesfield after 19 games.

Harrison said: “If this was projected to the end of the season then it’s going to be 20-25 per cent less points to win the league this year – and then the bottom will be 20-25 per cent up too. The spread will be closer.

“We are in a good position, not an ideal one as we would like to be higher, but look at the recovery from the opening six weeks, then the two home games here can set us up.

“Aldershot try and play from the back, they are adamant they will play from the back and it’s up to us to stop them getting into a rhythm.

“We can’t allow them to do that and we have to be compact and stop them playing. We have to be high up the pitch and take the game to them.”