AFTER seeing the good and bad of Hartlepool United in the space of a week, new boss Dave Jones insists the players have to believe in his methods.

Pools opened with a win over Stevenage, but followed it up with a feeble performance in a 3-1 defeat at Newport on Saturday.

They are on their new training ground at the Racecourse in Durham this week in preparation for the weekend home game with Yeovil.

And Jones will expect a positive response to the Newport defeat.

"The players will have an input, but if I don't think it's right I won't do it,’’ he said. "But they have to bank on my experience, they have to draw on that.

"It's all a learning process. The club is on a path, we may have to have a detour now and again but the line is there."

Jones has been given a free reign to reshape the club from top to bottom and, while lifting them up the table in League Two is a short-term job, Jones is laying down foundations for the long-term at the club.

“The players here have responded to us and they would be stupid if they didn’t. Everyone wants to impress a new regime and if they do that then they stay,’’ he said.

“I only ever see two options, you either play well to stay or play well to get a better move. There’s two options open to them and they set a bar on Saturday – can they go higher and maintain it? You can’t drop below that and they set it, I didn’t.

“I will encourage them to be better than that and if they get they, they have a way or playing and an organisation amongst themselves so to adapt the shout doesn’t have to come from the sidelines.

“Professionalism is something I’ve had all my career, I’ve not known anything different and I’m not going to leave that aside because it’s Hartlepool.

“It’s no different to the Premier League, Championship or whatever –the same rules have to apply, although the quality may not be the same.’’

Jones has until 11pm tonight to add to his squad, and after Pools moved both Jake Carroll and Toto Nsiala on this month, there is the possibility of exits too.

Nathan Thomas would most likely have been attracting interest from higher division clubs, but is still recovering from injury.

He tore a groin in the defeat at Barnet in October and needed surgery. After a five-minute cameo against Stevenage he was left behind for the haul to South Wales and should be involved this weekend.

Jones said: “Nathan was back in the squad last week. I’ve not seen him yet. I tried to sign him at Sheffield Wednesday and we had a look at him and I left the week we were ready to sign him. He’s good ability, was very raw and something I felt we could build on.

“He’s moved on since then, scored goals, but I’ve not seen it yet because of injuries.’’

Pools have also signed goalkeeper Joe Fryer on loan from Middlesbrough to put competition on Adam Bartlett with regular No 1 Trevor Carson out for the season.

“We need a keeper as Trevor is out injured and we only have Barts with young keepers underneath,’’ said Jones. “We need him pushed and we need competition – without competition it’s lazy and the same.

“If you are playing well and being pushed you are on top of your game. Barts now has someone fighting for his place.’’