DAVE Jones wants his Hartlepool United players to join him for the ride, as he promised better times ahead.

Pools have six games left this season to keep their Football League status intact and go to Morecambe on Saturday five points ahead of the bottom two.

Short-term aims are clear and Jones is drawing up plans for the long-term to ensure seasons of constant struggle and relegation scraps are put to bed.

“If the players believe in what we are doing and where we are going and jump on the wagon and come for the ride, then this club grow and grow and will go places,’’ he said. “They have to trust and believe in what we are saying. It’s been successful where I’ve been before, so stop fighting it. Listen, do it, be with us and it’s been successful before. If they do it and it fails then it’s our fault.’’

But he warned: “If they do their own things in certain parts of the game it will fail and it’s been failing. On Saturday one or two did what they wanted to do and that’s not what we wanted them to do.’’

Pools were beaten 2-0 by Portsmouth at the weekend, their third successive loss against a side chasing promotion.

Jones said: “We played against a very strong side and it showed. Only eight years ago I was playing against them in the FA Cup final, so it shows.

“It’s took them time to build a season or two to get where they are, of course it does.

“We have to go with what we have got for all the chances we have made. Players when I arrived were on their way out maybe – Lewis (Alessandra), Brad (Walker) – they were looked at getting out and being moved on and they’ve come good and we have to make sure we get ourselves safe.

“Then watch the whole dimensions of this club change, players coming in to change the club and help the others we already have - and we have to get to that stage.’’

Despite the difference between the sides at the weekend, Jones was frustrated his players didn’t take the few openings which came their way.

Pools are not a physical side and prefer to pass for openings than hit the ball long. It’s a trait the squad has adapted this season and Jones said:

“We have again been in some really good positions, but try and score the perfect goal.

“Three occasions in the first-half we have the ball in their box, but we don’t shoot. We try and score the perfect goal.

“Twice it runs through to the goalkeeper by trying to pass when we could shoot there. Do that and you get ricochets and deflections. We don’t shoot from being in good positions.

“Then all of a sudden we don’t pick out the right pass.

“Two teams can keep the ball and play, but they have the cutting edge. It says 2-0, but they weren’t better than us in certain areas.

“Cooky (Pompey boss) said for 15 minutes before and after half-time they couldn’t get the ball. So when we are on top then instead of getting on top and finishing things off, what do we do? We commit suicide in the middle of the pitch and then the ball is in the back of our net. Why?

“Why when we are on top does somebody want to change the plan? Why does someone want to do something different to what they have been doing? And then you ask why have they done it?

“We are trying to change it, to stop them reverting to type and what they have been used to and to be fair they are trying to do it and listening.’’