FOOTBALL for Billy Paytner right now couldn’t be going any better. It’s stark contrast to the time he spent at the place he’s going back to this evening.

Hartlepool United’s 15-goal top-scorer returns to Brunton Park, home of Carlisle United the scene of his worst time in the game.

As boss Keith Curle ostracised the striker from the first-team, Paynter’s career stalled. He even considered packing it all in.

But a phone call from then Pools boss Ronnie Moore last summer took him to Victoria Park.

Instantly handed the captaincy, Paynter has been a leader on and off the pitch.

He scored against his former club at the start of the season, celebrating passionately in front of a stoic Curle, who had the last laugh as Pools threw the game away to lose 3-2.

Paynter looked on last season from the stands as Pools drew 3-3 on the final day of the campaign.

"That's one of them things in football, sometimes as a player you don't have the best of times at certain clubs,’’ he reflected after netting two penalties in Saturday’s 2-1 win over Mansfield.

"I'm over that now and really enjoying my football here.

"It's going all right - I think every time I go on the pitch I can score goals so this was a nice return.

"Carlisle have had a great season and have been pushing for the play-offs so all credit to them.

"Hopefully we can go there and put a dent in that.

"We're a different team now, we're playing with confidence and we believe going into every game that we can get the win."

Seven games unbeaten, Pools outlook has changed drastically. It’s not quite the laid-back, care-free attitude which they adopted on the final day of last season, but the pressure and worries about relegation are over.

Saturday was Paynter’s 500th career appearance, Pools his 11th club. He’s 127 goals, only two of them for the Cumbrians.

He’s been prolific with penalties for Pools this season, netting five from five. His first on Saturday was almost kept out by keeper Scott Shearer, who didn’t get near the second.

Paynter said: "The keeper went early, but I squeezed it in, all the matters was it crossed the line.

"There was more pressure on the second one - their big centre-half was doing plenty of talking, asking where I was going to put it.

"I told him I was going to dink it and he offered me a 50 quid bet, but I wasn't prepared to risk losing any money so i said no.

"I knew the keeper would dive so I hit it straight up the middle.

"You can't have a favourite spot because keepers will cotton onto it - you have to mix it up.

"OK, he went right for the first but it still went in and that's all that matters.

"We're delighted with the three points but disappointed we sat back and let them back into the game.’’

Pools boss Craig Hignett has been shortlisted for the League Two manager of the month award for March, with Jake Carroll up for the player award.

Hignett led Pools to 14 points from a possible 21 and he’s up against Darrell Clarke (Bristol Rovers, 18 points from 21), Paul Tisdale (Exeter, 12 from 18) and Darren Way (Yeovil, ten points from 15).

Carroll’s opposition are Jon-Joe O’Toole (Northampton), Kemar Roofe (Oxford) and Matty Taylor (Bristol Rovers).