DAVE JONES feels his young Hartlepool United players are on a steep learning curve, and backed them to come through it for the better.

Pools take on Carlisle this afternoon in need of a win to ease the pressure at the wrong end of the table, with only four games to go after this one.

Newport have closed the gap on Pools to three points, and Jones said: "Maybe on the outside they appear calm, but I'm not sure about the inside. We know what we have to do, it's in our hands.

"Sometimes your performances are not reflected in the results.

"You are telling the players that they are doing well, but still only coming away with a point.

"At Blackpool we lost and that's hard on them, certainly the youngsters. We played really well and came away with nothing.

"They are the games win you championships, the ones you dig out, you scrap and fight for a point.

"It's all learning curve and unfortunately we are trying to learn at the wrong end of the table.

"Hopefully we'll get safe but what they have been through will be invaluable to the players.

"You can't inject them with that, that game time – that’s something they gain.

"When things are not going well for you in the future then you are able to draw on that experience.

"It's the same in any walk of life.

"Unfortunately some of the youngsters are learning the hard way but it won't do them any harm.’’

Pools only drew at struggling Morecambe last weekend, and Carlisle are as equally out of form.

It was two points dropped on Saturday and Jones wants to regrets today.

He said: "I had a moan at them on Saturday.

"You try to say to them 'they'll be getting an absolute rollicking from the manager', they'd been totally out played.

"You know they are going to come out and scrap, they are fighting for their lives as well.

"I just don't think we could have dealt with that as well as we could have.

"We could have cleared our lines better, it's that decision-making at vital times.

"Some teams get away with it bit we're not getting away with it at the moment.’’