NINE games remaining, nine games to determine Hartlepool United’s future – and boss Ronnie Moore has a final day showdown in mind.

Pools are bottom of the table, the gap to safety down to four points following impressive and successive away wins in the five days.

And, while triumphs at Morecambe and Oxford have reignited belief and fight within the club, Pools still have it all to do.

They are at home to Mansfield on Saturday, who won on Tuesday thanks to a late goal from recent Pools loanee Rakish Bingham, before Cambridge visit the following weekend.

But on the last day of the season, Pools go to Carlisle – who sit seven points and four places above Pools.

Can they catch Keith Curle’s side?

Moore said: “If it goes down to the wire, and I think it will, I will take Carlisle on the last day of the season for a winner takes all if it was given to me - and we can keep progressing and take it to there.’’

Tranmere’s win at Cambridge on Tuesday didn’t help Pools’ cause, but with York, Cheltenham and Rovers well within reach now, Moore feels their rivals will soon start to feel the heat.

“People say the pressure is on us, well it’s not it’s on others,’’ he insisted. “We can only do what we can and hope it’s enough. We have come off and sadly other teams have done the same, but that’s going to happen.

“It’s now pulled an awful lot of teams within reach now, who will be panicking. As long as we do our part, then others will do us a favour.

“Other teams had written us off and our results will make them sit up and notice. If you are Tranmere or another team then you aren’t looking at us, we were cut adrift.

“Then suddenly we win, then we win again and it puts so much pressure on them. We’ve had that pressure on us, the pressure to get wins and close the gap – well we are doing that now.

“There you are, now it’s on others. Crowds will be getting nervy and having a go at them, it’s four points and I just wish our goal difference was an awful lot better because four points would be four points not five as it stands.

“Unless we win four, five or six every week it’s not going to change much.’’

Pools have been rejuvenated with a solid 3-5-2 system in the last two games. Up front, striker Ryan Bird has scored and missed a penalty at Oxford and had a major say in the own goal winning effort at Morecambe.

Signed on loan from Cambridge, he has dovetailed well up front with Jon Franks, who has been moved from the wing to the middle to good effect.

“He scored a lot of goals in non league, he puts himself about. All we have been lacking is a natural scorer, can Birdy be the one?’’ asked Moore.

“Scott Fenwick is another, but he’s still two or three weeks out. We’ve three away from home and none against – it’s a pity we weren’t going that way earlier and then our goal difference wouldn’t be so bad.

“Sometimes you fall upon things by accident, Morgan and Harewood weren’t playing particularly well, Fenwick is out injured so where do we go from here?

“Who will run about, chase and harry? I put Connor Smith in, but he’s only young and Franksy is clever and would rather play there than wide. ‘’