IF Hartlepool United get into any spots of bother, Liam Donnelly insists he is the man to step up to the mark and get them out of it.

The 21-year-old was handed the opportunity to take a penalty on Tuesday night and he obliged, converting the second of Hartlepool’s goals in a comfortable 4-0 win over Halifax.

Now Donnelly is ready to do it all again, whether Pools earn another spot-kick against Ebbsfleet this afternoon or at home to Macclesfield next weekend, or any game for that matter, he will be ready.

If anyone has followed the former Fulham defender’s career over the last couple of years, they will know he has found the net a few times from 12 yards 0 mainly for his country when he has pulled on the Northern Ireland Under-21s’ green.

He said: “I didn’t feel any pressure on Tuesday, I’ve been taking penalties for my country. You have to back yourself.

“It’s about making up your mind early and sticking to it. We sort of decided a couple of weeks ago that if any came up that I'd take them.

"It was decided before the game. I've scored a few in internationals. Matthew Bates deals with the set-pieces and after I scored my second Northern Ireland penalty he asked would I step up and do ours, so I did.”

Donnelly’s contribution helped secure a victory which has lifted Hartlepool up to 11th and a couple of points shy of a play-off place. The inconsistency of Craig Harrison’s side, though, has prevented them from establishing themselves in the top seven so far.

Donnelly said: “It's good to get up the table but we need to be higher still. If we are to get in the play-off positions, we need to keep pushing.

"Consistency is massive. We set the standard against Halifax, that's probably been our best performance yet. We need to keep that going on Saturday and then through the rest of the season.

“We knew last Saturday wasn’t good enough when we lost to Aldershot. We had a plan to play a bit more against Halifax and get at them and we did that, straight from the off.

“It was nice to get going early on and score twice in the first seven minutes. That set the tone. Our fans have been great all season, at home and away.

“But our form at the Vic has been disappointing and it was nice to give them something to cheer about.”

Beating Halifax came on the back of a run of just one win in six matches, having won their three previous games before that. Peaks and troughs have been something of the norm this season, so Harrison and Co have exchanged words in a bid to hit the Halifax note more often.

Donnelly said: "We have a good group of lads, everyone gets on with each other. We did speak after the game and there were a few things said that needed saying.

"But you come in the next day and you're mates and you get on with it. It's good we can do this among ourselves and we're not waiting for the manager staff to come in and tell us.

"We all knew Saturday wasn't good enough. There are a few big characters is the dressing room and if someone needs telling then it is and it's accepted.”

Hartlepool know they will be up against an Ebbsfleet side smarting from back-to-back defeats. Manager Daryl McMahon is demanding a response at Stonebridge Road and they hope to move level on points with the men from the North-East.

Harrison has been keeping an eye on Jonathan Franks ahead of the trip. He missed the victory over Halifax because of hamstring problems so will not be risked if there are any concerns at all. Blair Adams is in the same boat.

“Ebbsfleet, we know all about them. We had someone at their game on Tuesday and the weekend, so we have reports and analysis on them,” said Harrison.

“The league is still tight, we are looking for another run. We’ve been on a good run, losing three in 16, so it’s not a bad one. The aim is to win three, four, five and put us in a good position. We are always playing catch up from the start and we move on now.

“Leading up to the Christmas period, four games in ten days, we want as many points as we can. If we are in the top six by January, which the plan is, then we will be ready to strike. It’s two points from the play-offs and we want to be in there, we want to be top, but we aren’t yet. Now how do we get there?”