FOR HARTLEPOOL United, the season starts here. Four games remaining, four matches to save their souls.

Tomorrow night, still one place and one point in front of the bottom two, they meet Accrington at Victoria Park. Nothing less than three points will do.

Win that and their final home game with Exeter on April 25 and they should be safe. Fail tomorrow night as disappointingly as they did at York on Saturday and the consequences don’t bear thinking about.

While Pools meet Stanley, the two teams directly above and below, Mansfield and Tranmere, meet at Field Mill.

What’s best? A Stags win which would put them nine points ahead of the bottom two with three to play, or a Rovers victory?

From a Pools perspective, a Victoria Park victory is all that matters.

"Accrington is massive - it is our season in one game without doubt on Tuesday,’’ admitted Ronnie Moore. "Tranmere and Cheltenham both won't lose again on Tuesday.’’

They should really have been going into tomorrow with a healthy four-point gap over Rovers after they lost at Southend.

Pools were up against ten men for 45 minutes at Bootham Crescent. City centre-half Dave Winfield was red carded for a messy attempted lunge towards Brad Walker as the Pools midfielder ran across the edge of the penalty area.

It could be interpreted as dangerous, he did take off the ground initially, but he barely connected with the ball as Walker leaped by.

The same defender made the tackle while on loan at Wimbledon in February that ended Michael Woods’ season. There was little love lost between the Pools entourage and the defender.

Yet, the reduction in numbers didn’t work in Pools’ favour, it actually went against them.

City’s home record is poor – this was only their fourth win at Bootham Crescent.

They are set up to play on the counter attack, and the second half was played right into their hands.

A 3-5-2 set up was changed to 3-4-2 and, with eight players back behind the ball, the formed a red wall around their penalty area. Moore said Pools worked last week on getting at the York defenders: “We know where their weaknesses are - their three centre halves cannot run.’’

It became too predictable – Pools pass into midfield, pass left, pass right, back to the middle and the play came to nothing.

It needed something different to break through and Pools didn’t have it.

Jon Franks had a shot saved well by Michael Ingham, Jordan Hugill stabbed wide from close range and then fired over.

As time ran out, both sides became more desperate. Pools had scrambles, looked certain to score, but didn’t.

The only goal came as Pools failed to clear with conviction, Luke Summerfield ran through midfield without Aaron Tshibola or Walker laying a hand on him when one or both should have been more determined to halt his progress.

A shot from distance was covered by Scott Flinders, but diverted off David Mirfin and Flinders couldn’t react.

First half and Hugill almost turned in a low Franks cross, while Scott Harrison’s goalbound volley would have been a goal before Winfield cleared off the line.

Moore said: "We have four games left and we still have a lifeline. That is the big thing.

"It is massive and nerve wracking because the games are going by quickly. Everybody is panicking.

"Teams that we could have caught if we'd won have a little five-point gap now. All of a sudden with four games to go, there is a five-point gap.

"It narrows it down to four teams, that is what it is about now. It is nerve-wracking but you have to be able to cope.’’

In front of 2,000 expectant travelling supporters, Pools didn’t perform like they can and Moore admitted of his players: "I thought we were nervous.

"It was quiet in the dressing room, despite the loud noise outside with the support.

"We looked nervous and that was the first time I had seen that in one or two of the players.

"The sending off lifted the York crowd but we haven't given ours too much to shout about.

"We needed a goal or a performance that is going to make them shout - if you can't go out there and play and give it everything you have got, then something is wrong."

"I wish I knew what caused that nervousness, has the occasion got to them?

"Are one or two nervous now we are out the bottom two?

"I don't know, this is new to us. So how do we handle it?

"They dealt with being in the bottom two because there is no pressure there, everything is up from there.

"Now we have worked hard to get out and got in a position to be in, one or two just look like the game passed them by.

"They didn't play or produce the standard we have been having just recently.’’