AS FAR as end of season games go, they don’t come much more meaningless than today’s for Hartlepool United.

For once, as has been the norm in recent years, there’s been no end of season relegation drama.

There is, however, the tradition of final away game fancy dress for supporters on the agenda. And the sight of over 500 dressed up as Stormtroopers at Plymouth this afternoon will provide a strange backdrop.

While last week he quipped that he wouldn’t mind getting into a Star Wars costume himself, Pools boss Craig Hignett won’t allow his players to switch off.

Plymouth are in the play-offs and will make half a dozen changes to their regular side. Pools have vowed to make an alteration or two in the way they play.

Having one eye on their holidays, however, is something Hignett won’t tolerate.

“We’ve lost three in a row, which is disappointing. It’s up to the players to let the force take over now!’’ he quipped.

“We might play a bit different, have a look at something else, and that’s something I’ve wanted to at the end of the season.

“But we go there to win, I want to give the fans something to get excited about coming home, because it’s a long way.

“It’s about hard work and doing what you practice. I see the quality in training and if I can get that on a regular basis on the pitch we will be a match for anyone.’’

Pools lost to Portsmouth last weekend and Hignett accepted the outlook from his players wasn’t quite what he expected.

“I got the feeling against Portsmouth it was a big of an end of season thing, and it’s natural for that to happen,’’ said Hignett, who has released Scott Fenwick, Scott Harrison, Kudos Oyenuga, Ebby Nelson-Addy, Harry Worley and Peter Denton from his squad for next season.

“Players aren’t daft, they know what’s happening for next season, you tend to get people switching off and if the game meant something there would be a different mentality.

“As a player I know what it’s like and I can sort of understand it, but my message is give it your all, and you have all summer to recover.’’

Hignett has introduced a 4-3-3 system since his appointment in February, which has worked well, but for today, he said: “We are going to try something a bit different, I'm really excited.

"But it could go pear-shaped! I think I needed more than a week to work on this.

"We'll have a look it and if it works then brilliant, if it doesn't then we can change it and go back to the way we were playing.

"There is nothing wrong with how we play, I just want to see a different styles and different way of doing things.

"I know what we cam do and what we can't do.

"Sometimes we have sat high and sometimes we have sat off, it makes a difference.

"I thought it made a big difference against Portsmouth when we sat off, but the games we have pressed we have found it harder to create clear-cut chances.

"There is a balancing act to be found somewhere.

"I'd like us to play differently and for the players to know when to press and when to sit back and be able to play differently all the time.

"I don't want us to play the same way for 90 minutes, I want to switch things about, be difficult to read.’’

On his appointment, Hignett spoke of playing a pressing game, high-intensity being the key. He’s attempted it in games at times and said: "We pressed high at both Carlisle and Oxford and had lots of the ball but at the same token we did not create loads of chances.

"We deliberately sat off on Saturday and let Portsmouth have the ball in their own half and when we broke out, we tended to have a lot of opportunities.

"We had more one-on-ones against them than we did in the previous two or three game, maybe there is a lesson in there somewhere.

"I want us to recognise that there are times we may have to sit back when we are put under pressure and get our shape back, be difficult to beat.

"If we can go higher up the field and press then we will, I have clever players here but it's for them to recognise what to do in games.’’