DAVE Jones makes a return to Morecambe hoping to pile on the misery for one of his former clubs.

Jones spent time with the club as he learned his coaching trade in non-league.

His Hartlepool United side go there on Saturday on the back of three straight defeats – but the home side have lost their last seven.

Speaking at his press conference this morning, Jones said: “Confidence may not be high there. I’ve been at Morecambe as a coach – one of my first roles was as a player-coach and it’s a tough place to go. I expect a tough one. We go in with an attitude to earn the win.

“They won’t give it to us will they? We all want to stop a rot. If you are in the other way and winning game then you don’t want it to stop.’’

Pools are five point ahead of second-bottom Newport, who go to Exeter on Saturday, with six games to play.

Jones added: “At this moment in time so many things are going on that our priority is safety then plan, look at where we want to get to and how.

“For now it’s up in the air. We don’t have a squad to challenge for anything in this division, but what we have got is a group doing everything in their power to achieve and stay in the division.’’

Pools have trained at The Northern Gas and Power Stadium today, and Carl Magnay, who made a last-minute substitute appearance last week after missing the last six months with a cruciate knee injury, in contention for a start this weekend.

Jones said: “They have worked really hard, two really hard days, today they are stiff and tired and all that goes with it, which is expected because of the stage of the season we are at.

“We have our run throughs today and tomorrow and see who is fit and who is not. Mags will train and see if he’s right and feeling good.

“He’s had reserve games, trained hard, has training sessions put on of benefit for him and if he’s fit then it’s another senior player to be involved.’’