Hignett confident of lift-off for Hartlepool United

Two victories at home have come either side of a disappointing defeat at Doncaster last weekend and Pools go to Wycombe today who have showed what can be done with a positive run of results.

Wanderers have won five of their last six at home and their last three in League Two to move to the fringe of the play-offs.

But they lie only three points ahead of Pools.

“It’s finally come together at home and now it’s about putting home and away form together and starting a decent run,’’ reflected Hignett.

“There’s nothing in the league and we don’t feel we have clicked properly yet and when we do we will go on a run. Last year we went five wins on the bounce, do that now and it’s a play-off spot.’’

Pools saw off Accrington in midweek and the manager now hopes the belief engineered from successive and much-needed home victories can lift them to better things in the weeks to come.

“It was good to get back to back home wins in the League and we’ve had some good results of late, scored goals and kept clean sheets,’’ he added.

“It was good to put Doncaster behind us with a decent performance, second-half especially as first-half we were finding our feet a bit with the new formation.

“It gave us a lift, and belief that we can win at home, but performances haven’t been bad. We should have won before we did as we played well at times.

“We weren’t winning at home, but displays have been generally good and there’s belief in how we can play, but when it’s going against you it can be tough.

“I know there’s a decent set of lads here who understand football, who know what we want to do and how we want to play the game.’’

Pools switched to a 3-5-2 formation in midweek, away from the 4-3-3 which Hignett has often preferred.

It may have taken them some time to adapt, but the manager was pleased with the way it worked overall.

His footballing principles remain the same and he said: “We stick with it and won’t change the way I want to play. Formation can change, but with the same philosophy – passing the ball, being organised and attacking teams to score goals.

“That’s something, scoring goals, we wanted to address from last year, but we have conceded too many down to poor decisions and mistakes, but we hope that’s all behind us now.

“Formations, I will change. We had reasons to go 3-4-3 the other night, we were 5-3-2 at one point and we changed a lot.

“But when are you ever in a formation? We were 4-4-2 at times and 4-3-3 can be anything you want it just depends on what you are looking at at that time.

“The main thing is to understand. One up front, two up front, we should always have the same people in the box when we are attacking.’’

And while some fans and players like get worked up about preferred formations and systems he admitted: “What I find is it’s how you say things. How you put it across to people as players sometimes take it literally and do the same thing every time. It’s about putting it in a different way.’’

“I am still deciding on the system. It needs work.

“I thought in the first half we struggled a bit with the formation. The midfielders didn't seem able to pass the ball forward and balls into the box troubled us, but we got better at it as the game went on.

“It is good to know that we have a squad capable of doing it when we need to.

“You do need clever footballers to play that way, but I know I have.’’

And he is calling on his more experienced heads to make their mark and said: “Matty Bates has made a big difference in there with his organisation.

“Nicky Featherstone is a good footballer who will keep people in and around him. Josh Laurent is coming on leaps and bounds.

“Podge and Lewis know what they are doing. Devs knows what he is doing – these are not kids.

“They know what they are doing. They have played a lot of football, so I would expect them to be able to switch formations.

It is harder with the younger ones. It can seem a bit foreign for them.’’