DAVE JONES has seen much in his time in four decades of football.

The ex-Stockport County, Southampton, Wolves, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday manager has tasted the highs of promotions, not to mention Wembley.

However, the 60-year-old is in uncharted territory with Hartlepool United, who are in a right old scrap for Football League survival.

While Pools have turned it on at the Northern Gas and Power Stadium, where they are undefeated in five matches, life on the road is not a comfortable journey for Jones and his squad.

The latest set-back at Notts County was a disappointing one, Kevin Nolan’s team climbing not just above Pools but three places to 19th, courtesy of well-taken Shola Ameobi and Jorge Grant goals.

That is where Pools could be sitting today, a fact which did not escape Jones, who takes his team to Cambridge United tomorrow night looking for an upturn in fortunes after five straight away defeats..

All his team could muster at Meadow Lane was an own goal, courtesy of the leakiest defence in League Two.

“It’s got to stop,” he said. “Last week two wins on the trot were being celebrated, that’s not what I’m about.

“We had an opportunity to get some points here and we didn’t take it, that’s why I’m so angry with them.”

The appalling away form is keeping Leyton Orient and Newport County in contention to stay in the Football League.

It’s not that Pools were bad in Nottingham, they got the ball down and tried to play football, but they continue to be dragged down by handing out gifts.

The first half of the opening period was even, both teams having their moments in the opposition areas, with Lewis Alessandra having a 12th-minute shot blocked by Richard Duffy and Pools defending well at the other end.

It was a new-look formation at the back after Brad Walker failed a fitness test with an ankle injury and would-be replacement, Matthew Bates, did not travel with the same problem.

Nicky Featherstone joined Liam Donnelly and Scott Harrison in a back three, but they coped relatively smoothly.

However, Pools had a let-off in the 25th-minute when Grant went to ground twice in the box, with Darren Deadman waving away passionate appeals.

It looked like good refereeing but the next appeals he upheld, just three minutes later, when Lewis Hawkins got in a real tangle and handled at a corner.

Pools escaped with that first gift, thanks to Joe Fryer, who dived to his right to push Ameobi’s penalty onto the post with Kenton Richardson reacting first to clear.

That acted as a lift and Pools had shouts of their own for a spot-kick when the impressive Rhys Oates went down, but Mr Deadman said no.

It looked anyone’s game at the break, but Pools soon rolled out the red carpet for the Magpies.

The away side were undone by a straight ball through the middle less than two minutes into the second half, Grant playing in Ameobi.

Given the veteran ex-Newcastle striker had missed earlier from 12 yards, how would he fare?

With a sure aim it turned out, the 35-year-old tucking his shot under Fryer from 14 yards for his opening goal for old Magpies team-mate, Nolan.

Having set up the first, Grant helped himself to the second goal.

Pools cleared a 71st-minute corner to the edge of the box, where the unmarked on-loan Nottingham Forest midfielder took aim and rifled a magnificent shot past the helpless Fryer.

It says much about Pools that they responded seven minutes later, Oates doing the spadework for Nathan Thomas, whose shot was cleared off the line by Richard Duffy only into team-mate Haydyn Hollis, with ball ending in the net.

However, that was as good as it got.

“They are goals we should not be giving away,” said Jones. “They are easy to stop.

“The first goal, we’ve thrown the ball down the line, given it away and it’s ended up in the back of our net.

“The second was nicely stuck in by their lad, but who was marking at the edge of our box?

“When you control a game you’ve got to get something from it.”