IT’S only been ten games and a little over four months since Hartlepool United last made the haul to Plymouth.

For the 390 miles from Home Park to Victoria Park that May evening, Craig Hignett had plenty to stew over.

His side had been rolled over 5-0, their season ending on a woeful note. It proved the end for some Pools players, released on the back of their ineptitude and attitude that day.

For Hignett, today is a chance to right a few wrongs from that day, but it won’t be part of his pre-match mantra to the players.

“It won't get a mention,’’ he insisted. “At that time there was an end of season feel, one or two of them were on holiday.

“One or two chose to have a day off. Things have changed a lot since then.

“We have got a bigger squad, a better quality one. The football that we play is better.

“We are still finding our way a bit. I don't think we've got as many points as I think we deserve.

“We should have won last Saturday because we created enough chances in the game.

“We got a clean sheet and looked solid - we know we should have won it.’’

The Pilgrims are today seeking an eighth successive win, to level a club record set in 1992.

Top of the table and beaten in last season’s play-off final, they have set the early pace.

Hignett admitted: “It is a good test.

Plymouth are going well and are full of confidence, but we shouldn’t need any motivation to go there and do well.

“It will be tough - we are under no illusions.

“They don't seem to have as much possession as other teams. We will have to be on our mettle. This league is tough, but anybody can go anywhere on any day and beat anyone.

“I am confident with the quality we have got in our squad that we can beat anyone.’’

The return to Home Park comes only weeks after Pools suffered another five-goal defeat on the road, this time at Stevenage when they were whacked 6-1.

Since then they won at Yeovil, a win coming after Pools lined up with three centre-halves. They are unlikely to do that today because of injuries to Matthew Bates and Rob Jones.

Hignett said: “We will do it game by game and see how they play. I will then decide whether we will go that way or not.

“We have got the personnel to do it but at the moment we are probably struggling to do it with Rob's injury.

“It worked well at Yeovil in the first half, then we opened up in the second half.

“We knew we had to do something after Stevenage and it was something I had wanted to do in pre-season but never really got the chance to do it.

“I have got the players to play it. It suits a lot of them. We have played 4-3-3 most of my time here. We played 4-4-2 at the start of the season. We have played three at the back and the diamond.

“My players are really flexible.

“The lads I have got know exactly what they are doing no matter what we play. For me that is good it gives me the chance to set up the team how I want to. It means I don't have to do loads of work on the systems because they know what they are doing.

“This year I will swap it game by game depending on the opposition.’’