THREE GAMES against promotion contenders, and three defeats for Hartlepool United. Now the next trio of games will shape the club’s history and future direction.

Losing to Portsmouth, Blackpool and Wycombe showed the difference between fluent teams at the top and those stuttering at the bottom and Pools are in the latter category.

Now attention is all fixed on the upcoming games: Morecambe on Saturday, Carlisle on Good Friday, Leyton Orient on Easter Monday.

A minimum return of six points is needed to maintain the advantage over Newport, who remain second bottom, but won on Saturday to reduce the gap between the sides to five points with six games to go.

Two wins for Jones’ side would mean the Exiles have to win four of their last six games to overhaul Pools.

This is the fourth season in a row they have been involved in a scrap to stay in the Football League at the end of the season.

Twelve months ago they eased to safety thanks to a fine run of form and results in March. The other two seasons were a bit more scary.

This time around and there really shouldn’t be a need to panic. Not before the next three games anyway.

Pools won’t – not until the last day of the season when Doncaster visit – play a team as good as Pompey.

The difference was clear as the visitors – set for promotion – were always the likely winners and Pools fell short.

Jones admitted: “It’s a tough game this against a really good side, but they were beatable. When on top, like last week and against Wycombe, you have to put the ball in the net because it alleviates all that pressure.

“They scored and for ten minutes it was hard to get the ball off them – they were relaxed and their game was flowing.

“We scored last week at Blackpool and didn’t do that, we kept giving it away in the middle of the park.

“And inviting them on, that’s the difference, that’s being savvy and working hard.

“They work really hard, and we are trying to teach them and we will keep going. We are in it (relegation fight) as such, but we don’t want to get dragged right into it.

“They are better than that and I’ve told them that, but I think we have played nine teams in the top half of the table in the games we have been here, but I’ve not seen anything better than us.

“It’s a bit more belief and of course putting the ball in the net. Take the pressure off you so when you do make a mistake it’s not going to end up in the back of your net.’’

The three wins from four games last month showed that Pools can win games. On Saturday they came up against a team expected to be in the top three from the off.

Kal Naismith spent a short time on loan at Pools last season and impressed as he floated around and used the ball well. He did the same on Saturday in a Pompey shirt.

The opener came from his left foot as he swept home a cross from the left, albeit after he was granted too much space in the area. “I hit it so well I didn’t even feel it leave my foot,’’ he mused.

He also set up the second goal, after Pools needlessly gave away possession.

Pools don’t need to play – and they usually don’t now – tippy tappy football inside their own half, but they did it to their cost.

One short pass too many saw possession lose, Naismith played in, and he teed up Gary Roberts to kill the game off.

Jones called it right: “It was there for us to show all the good things what we are capable of, but we do it in fits and starts. The most annoying thing is we have to eradicate the five-yard passes, the dinky balls we play and we keep getting caught. We have to change it.

“Sometimes when it’s not going well the old traits fall in and we have to stop it.

“We have to learn pretty quick. We got caught last week with square balls, same again this week. How many times do you have to tell them?’’

Pompey’s defenders – Christian Burgess and Matt Clarke (is he really only 20?) – did the simple things well and did other things even better.

Jones added: “I said to my two centre-halves that their centre-halves aren’t better than them, they just do things better. They have a bit more nous, more knowledge and don’t put themselves in danger.

“We put ourselves in danger, a bit of naivety, a bit of youth. It’s hard to knock them and I’m not knocking the players, but they have to trust in what we are doing and we need that cutting edge.’’