TONIGHT is the first game of three which will go a long way to shaping the remainder of Hartlepool United’s season.

Pools are at home to Crewe this evening, before Exeter visit The Northern Gas and Power Stadium on Saturday; two games from which a minimum four-point return is needed before they then go to Notts County the following weekend.

Dave Jones’ side sit in a familiar and precarious position, third bottom in League Two with just Orient and Newport below them.

While there’s been a change in the way Pools have approached games since Jones was appointed last month, results have remained disappointing.

Saturday’s defeat at Colchester was their fifth successive away reverse. Back to back wins are needed this week, something Pools have not done since last March.

“You don’t come in as a manager to a club when it’s all hunky dory, I understand that,’’ mused Jones. “I see a team which needs to take more care and it’s all about improving on what they have.

“At this level of football it’s disappointing to lose, but you always have a chance soon after to put it right.’’

He added: “Tuesday is an important one, we have played well at home and if we play as well as we played on Saturday, we will be more than happy. We continued from where we left off against Plymouth.

“I feel for them, I’m having a go at them. I‘m angry for them because to control it like we did and lose is not where we should be.’’

Pools yesterday released centre-half Issac Assenso after his short-term deal expired. The centre-half, who follows Harly Wise out of the door, failed to make any impact at Pools after his signing.

Six players have left either on loan or permanently in recent weeks, and Pools have only named six substitutes on the bench in the last two games.

Louis Rooney could come into the starting XI tonight after he was a late substitute at the weekend at Colchester.

Nathan Thomas is back in the side after three months out with a groin injury and he scored at the weekend, but Jones wants more from the wide-man.

“Nathan we want more from him and others. I’m not having a go at them at all, but in those good positions you have to be better with it,’’ said Jones.

“Is it a lack of confidence? No I think they are very very good technically, but they need more belief in their own ability.

“Kenton Richardson hasn’t let anyone down, but he’s 17 and learning his trade and you want to put him in and take him out, and we can’t. He got better into the game, which is a good sign for him as a future player.

“The back four and keeper were good, but we have to be better in front of goal.’’

Thomas now has eight goals for the season and is going to be a key man in the coming weeks.

Returning from going surgery and Jones said: “He's getting fitter

"Certain parts of his game now are probably a bit more controlled environment for him.

"He's there to do a job and if he does that he will get better and better.

"You can see after the game the sweat, the heavy breathing, he put a shift in. He knows he's going to be better and stronger.

"When he does that we'll see another side to Nathan and if he listens to what we are trying to teach him then we'll see a different Nathan again.

"It's not just about being all out on your own, doing your own thing in today's game.

"It has to be controlled, it has to be within a system, if they do that, as we did for long periods of the game, you shut the opposition down.

"If we do that, we'll get stronger and stronger, as will Nathan and will every other player."